A Tale of Two Booths
by RositaLG
Summary: One boy's love for Dr. Brennan reminds his father why he fell in love with her in the first place. Change in rating: Now M
1. The Boy Who Ran

**A/N: Hello, Bones fans! This is my first foray into the Bones fanfic world. (I'm cheating on my Gilmore Girls heritage.) But in re-watching Season 5 in preparation for Season 6, two ideas popped into my head and I couldn't let them slide. This is the first story, and I'm currently working on another. Because I'm new in this world, I would love to hear any and all of your comments. Ooh, and if you can point me in the direction of some favorite stories, I would love to start reading some great Bones fanfiction. Thanks and Happy Reading!**

Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone.

OOOOO

Angela looked up from her sketchbook just in time to see a small blonde boy walk by her office. She did a double take before realizing who it was.

"Baby Booth?" She called out as she ran out her office door to verify. He turned back around and walked towards her. "What are you doing here?" She asked, as she excitedly gave the young man a hug.

"I'm nine Angela. I'm not a baby." He said with an embarrassed smile.

"You're right." She apologized. "Where's your dad?" She asked, looking around.

"I'm here to talk to Bones. Is she here?" He asked, avoiding her question. Angela eyed him mysteriously.

"Does your dad know that you are here?" She asked. Parker didn't answer. "Parker!" She said, surprised by his mischievous behavior. "Come on, I'll take you to see Brennan. I'll let her try and explain this to your dad who, might I remind you, is an FBI agent…with a gun." She added. Parker smiled and let Angela lead the way to Brennan's office. She knocked on Brennan's doorway. Brennan looked up from her desk, surprised to see the two of them together.

"Look who snuck in to come visit you." Angela said.

"Hi Bones." Parker said sheepishly with a wave.

"Parker, what are you doing here?" She asked.

"I wanted to talk to you. You know, alone?" He said. Angela took her cue with a laugh.

"I got it. I'm leaving. But call Booth and let him know that Parker isn't MIA before he shoots someone." She told her friend.

"That's probably a good idea." Brennan said seriously. She hated to admit it, but Parker's surprise visit made her happy. She didn't see a lot of Booth anymore unless they were actually out on a case. The days of eating at the diner or celebrating over drinks were behind them now that Booth was so serious with Hannah. He had a reason to go home now. Seeing Parker reminded her of the old days, before Maluku and Iraq and the events surrounding Sweets' book changed everything. She dialed the phone as Parker sat down on the couch. Booth picked up on the first ring.

"Booth." He said sharply.

"Hi, it's me." She replied.

"Bones, I can't talk right now. Parker's missing." She could hear the panic in his voice.

"Parker's here." She told him. "At the lab." She clarified.

"What!" He sighed, slightly relieved that he was somewhere safe. "Is he okay? How did he get there?"

"No, he's fine." She said. "And I'm not quite sure." She put her hand on the mouthpiece. "How did you get here?" She asked Parker.

"I took the emergency money and got a taxi." He said simply.

"He took a cab with your emergency money." She heard Booth react intensely to that statement. "Did I mention that he's fine?" She stated again, not sure if he heard her the first time.

"Not for long because I'm going to kill him." He promised.

"Booth, he just stopped by to see everyone. He said there's something he needs to talk to me about." This caused Booth to fall silent on the other end. "We were just going to go to the diner for some food. Why don't you meet us there in an hour?"

"Fine." He said. "But let him know that he's in huge trouble for running away like that."

"Okay. I will." Brennan said as she hung up her phone. She turned her attention to Parker. "Your dad is very upset that you left without telling him where you were going." She informed him. "You shouldn't scare him like that. He has a very dangerous job and he shouldn't have to be scared when he's at home too."

"I'm sorry. I just, I wanted to see you guys. I missed you." Brennan relented at his honest face.

"We missed you too." She admitted. "Come on, I'll take you to get something to eat and we can talk."

OOOOO

"Let me guess, chocolate milkshake, two straws?" The waitress said as she looked at Brennan and then the small boy where Agent Booth was supposed to be sitting.

"Apple pie please." Parker said as he took out some money from his pocket. The waitress laughed. That was Booth's order too.

"It's on me." Brennan said, pushing the money back towards the boy. "Chocolate milkshake and we'll share an order of fries." She nodded as she walked away.

"Thanks Bones." Parker said with a smile. "Do you want to share some of my pie?"

"Oh, I don't like pie." She told him. Parker looked shocked. Brennan couldn't help but smile. He looked exactly like Booth when he was surprised.

"Pie is the best!" He told her.

"Your father would agree with you." She said. "So what is so important that had you sneaking away from your father?" She asked.

"I think he's going to marry Hannah." Parker said as if it were horrible. Brennan was surprised by the sentence. She knew that things were serious and that Booth wanted to move on with his life, but she hadn't expected it to happen so soon.

"And this upsets you?" Brennan asked, compartmentalizing her own feelings and focusing on the task at hand.

"Yes! I mean, she's nice and all, but I don't want her living with us all of the time." She smiled at his seriousness.

"Did you talk to Boo…, I mean, your dad about this?" She asked.

"No. He wouldn't listen to me anyway. He likes her. He's always saying that if mom likes someone, we have to like them too. It's the same with Hannah." Brennan took a sip of her shake and thought about the situation.

"Can I be honest with you?" She asked, not sure what the protocol was involving honesty. She knew that Booth lied to Parker about things like Santa Clause, but she still wasn't certain how common it was to lie to children. The boy nodded.

"When I was a little older than you, I lost both of my parents. They had to leave and I was left to live with strangers. I can't help but think that you are very fortunate to have so many people who want to take care of you." Parker sighed at Brennan's sad story. He never knew that about her.

"What about Max?" He asked.

"He only came back a year ago. My mom never came back." She said, suddenly very uncomfortable.

"That's sad." Parker thought out loud. Brennan nodded. "I'm sorry you didn't have a family."

"Just because my parents weren't around doesn't mean that I don't have a family." Brennan assured him. "I've got my chosen family. Everyone at the lab..."

"And me and Dad." Parker added quickly. Brennan nodded with a smile.

"Yes, and I never realized that until your dad taught me that being a family didn't necessarily mean being blood relatives." She paused. "Your father loves you very much. He would do anything for you, you know that, right?" Parker nodded.

"If you're our family, then why don't we see you as much anymore?" Brennan swallowed her fry.

"Well, your dad is busy with you and with Hannah. I've been working on a new book and…it just sort of happened that way. It doesn't mean that we don't care about each other as much. Life just gets in the way sometimes."

"You could spend more time with us if you wanted to date my dad." He suggested hopefully.

"I thought you just said you didn't want someone around all the time." Brennan said.

"No, I said that I don't want Hannah around all the time. You would be awesome. You could teach me all about dead bodies, plus you have a pool." He said matter of factly. "Don't you like my dad?" He asked.

"Of course I do, but your dad and I are partners. We work together and we are friends. Besides, even if we wanted to date each other, it's against the rules." She said.

"That's stupid." He said.

"Even if that's true, partners have a special relationship and we have to keep it professional." She explained as she ate a fry. Parker frowned.

"So I'm stuck with Hannah?" He asked dismally. "Couldn't you talk to him about it?"

"I'm sorry, but I have to agree with your father. I want your dad to be happy. If Hannah makes him happy, then I wouldn't stop him from marrying her even if I did have any power to stop him." Parker didn't seem to like this answer.

"Will we stop seeing you?"

"Of course not. You are welcome at the lab anytime. As long as your dad says that it's okay first." She added, giving him a look. "Angela has art supplies. Hodgins has all sorts of insects and beetles. Cam might even let you see a dead body if you ask her nicely."

"Really?" Parker asked, his eyes widening.

"Sure. But you have to promise to never leave without telling your dad where you are going again."

"Deal!" He said.

OOOOO

Across the street, Booth watched from the sidewalk as Brennan and Parker talked on the other side of the window. He couldn't help but smile. Apple pie, fries, and a chocolate shake. How many times had they sat at that very table and done the same thing? He watched as Parker looked up at Bones, surprised by something she had said. He laughed before replying animatedly, waving his hands around. Booth prayed to God that she wasn't describing a set of bones or decrepit body that they had found. With a nine year old boy, you never knew what was going to get him excited. He crossed the street and opened the diner door, the familiar smell making him miss the place, or more to the point, miss her. Parker saw him coming and suddenly got very quiet. Brennan turned around to see what she already knew. Booth was here.

"Bones. Parker." Booth acknowledged them both as he stood next to his son's seat at the table. The silence that followed was disconcerting. Brennan had seen Booth do the same thing once in the interrogation room, so she knew that it was a ploy to make the boy feel poorly about himself.

"Parker…" Brennan prodded him, knowing he would understand what she wanted him to say.

"I'm sorry." Parker said quietly towards his father. "I didn't mean to scare you and I won't do it again." Booth was surprised by his son's apology. He glanced at Bones.

"We'll talk about it later." He said, his tone already softening. "Go take this to the waitress," Booth handed him a twenty and the check. "I'm going to talk to Bones for a second, okay?" Parker nodded obediently, knowing that he was in no position to argue. As soon as he was gone, Booth sat down in his son's chair. He took a fry off of the plate between them without even thinking about it. Brennan watched and smiled, causing him to realize what he was doing. Old habits die hard, he thought.

"Okay, so?" He asked her, wanting some information.

"He wanted to talk to me about Hannah." Brennan said, knowing Booth wasn't going to like that very much.

"What about her?" He asked, getting defensive.

"It's hard for him. You had a year to get to know her, but Parker is still trying to figure it all out. He needed to rationalize."

"He said that?" Booth said incredulously. "He's nine. He can't even remember to brush his teeth every day."

"Booth, whether you like it or not, Parker is very observant. He sees the things that you try to protect him from. He's an extremely intelligent child." Booth smiled as he glanced at his son.

"He might be smarter, but he gets into just as much trouble as I did."

"Don't be too hard on him. He really didn't mean to scare you. He just wanted to talk."

"Thanks Bones." He sighed. "I'm glad that he felt that he could trust you. I just, I wish that he would talk to me about it first, you know?"

"He doesn't think that you will listen."

"He thought it would just be better to run away." Booth said, clearly frustrated.

"I took care of that too." Brennan said. "I made him apologize to you and to promise not to run away again, and in return, I told him he could visit the lab for a day." She said.

"What?" Booth said. Parker looked over at his dad's outburst. "Why would you promise him that?" He said a little more quietly

"Because, Booth! He's very interested in what we do. He wants to learn. Finding that phalanges in the bird's nest really got him interested in forensics."

"My kid, the squint-lover." He said.

"Why do you have to say it like that?" Brennan asked.

"Bones, come on. I don't want him poking around dead bodies, and sifting through flesh-eating beetles. He's just a kid!"

"There are flesh-eating beetles!" Parker said as he reappeared, hearing only the last part of their conversation. "You didn't tell me that!" His excited face made Brennan smile and Booth groan.

"Come on, we're going now." Booth said. "You and I have a lot of talking to do." He said as he pushed his son towards the door.

"Wait!" He said, running past his father and back to the table. He gave Brennan a huge hug. "Thanks Bones." He said honestly. "You're the best." Brennan smiled.

"You're welcome. Anytime." She said. Parker headed back towards the front door, but this time it was Booth's turn to show his appreciation. He smiled at his partner and gave her a hug.

"You _are_ the best." Booth confirmed, his lips brushing against the hair on the top of her head. He smiled at her and walked out of the diner. She watched him go, fighting back all the feelings that were suddenly rushing through her body. _She had missed her chance_. The thought hit Brennan with such force it almost knocked her back into her chair. If she had said yes, she could have been walking out with them. They could be going home together. They could have truly been a family.

OOOOO

Booth drove until he reached the small park where he sometimes took his son. He put the car in park and sighed, glancing over towards the boy next to him.

"What are we doing here?" Parker asked.

"I wanted to talk to you. Man to man." Booth said. Parker looked over at his dad, surprised.

"You always tell me that I'm not a man and that you'll talk to me when I'm older." Parker reminded his father.

"Well tonight is an exception." He explained. "Care to explain why you thought it would be a good idea to run away?"

"I wanted to talk to Bones."

"Why?" He asked.

"She always knows the right answer." Booth smiled. He couldn't deny that.

"So what did you need to talk to her about?" He tried a different tactic as he pondered how regular parents without interrogation training survived parenting. Parker looked hesitant to reveal this information. "It's okay, you can tell me."

"You're going to get mad."

"I won't get mad, just…start at the beginning."

"Did you know she doesn't like pie?" Parker started. Booth smiled and nodded. "She told me that I should apologize to you because you had a scary job and you didn't need to be scared at home."

"She is the smart one." Booth agreed.

"Then I told her that I thought you were going to marry Hannah."

"What?" Booth said.

"I told you you would get mad!" Parker said.

"I'm sorry, go on." He said with a sigh.

"I told her that I didn't want Hannah to be my new mom. She told me about how she didn't have a family when she was little and that I was lucky to have so many people who loved me and wanted to take care of me." This shocked Booth. Bones had opened up to Parker and actually talked about her past. It had taken him a lot longer to get a lot less out of her. "Then she said that you taught her that family could be friends too and that made us family. I like that, because then Bones is a part of our family." Booth nodded. Parker got quiet. "Then I asked if she loved you, and she said yes but that she could never date you because it was against the rules to date your partner."

"She said that?" He said, interrupting again. Parker nodded.

"I told her I thought it was a stupid rule, but she said that even if it is stupid, people still have to follow it. Then, I asked her if she could talk to you about dumping Hannah, but she said that the only thing she cared about was that you were happy, and that if being with Hannah makes you happy, then we have to be happy for you and respectful of Hannah." Parker sighed. "She sounded exactly like you when Mom gets a new boyfriend." Booth could tell that Parker didn't approve of that thought.

"You really don't like Hannah?" He asked his son, surprised by his feelings.

"I like Bones better." He said honestly. "I mean, don't you?" He asked his dad. Booth couldn't explain to his son that the reason he was dating Hannah in the first place was to move on from his forbidden love for his partner.

"Okay, here's the deal." Booth said, changing the subject. "I know why you wanted to talk to Bones and I would have taken you over there myself if you had just asked. But you didn't ask, you ran away, and for that you must pay the price." Booth said. Parker sighed, knowing his punishment was inevitable. "No TV and no video games until Friday." Parker's eyes got wide.

"That's a whole week!"

"If you do the crime, you do the time." Booth said, unapologetic for his tough grounding.

"Fine." Parker sighed, knowing that he was spending that time at his mom's anyway. Maybe she wouldn't make him wait the whole week.

"Come on, I'll take you home." He said as he started the car. The entire drive home, the only thing that Booth could think of was Bones saying that she loved him and that they were considered a part of her family. He hadn't seen her outside of work in months. Kicking himself for shutting her out of his life, he knew that he had to apologize to her tomorrow for his actions. Then his mind drifted over to what Parker had said about liking Bones better. _'Don't you?' _It had taken everything Booth had to keep from answering yes.


	2. The Man Who Couldn't

**A/N: First of all, a big thank you to all the readers! I was so flattered by all of your lovely reviews and story alerts (which I take as seriously as reviews). I'm glad that I didn't disappoint. Once again, it's my first Bones story, so review honestly because I'm here to learn. :) In honor of your gracious welcome, I'm posting the next chapter earlier than I anticipated. Don't get used to it…I just happened to have it already written. Happy Reading!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything**

"Hey buddy, how was your weekend?" Rebecca smiled as her son walked through the front door.

"Don't ask." He looked forlorn as he shrugged and walked to his room.

"What was that all about?" Rebecca asked as Booth appeared shortly after his son.

"He's grounded."

"What happened?" She asked, surprised that Booth would take such an extreme action. He hated handing out punishments to Parker

"Remember when he ran away at Christmas?" Booth reminded her. "He did it again."

"What? How?" Rebecca asked.

"He waited until I was in the shower, took the emergency money, and took a cab to the Jeffersonian lab to see the squints." Rebecca sighed. "I swear to God Rebecca, he's too sneaky for his own good."

"Why would he do that?"

"It's a long story. Basically he wants me to date Bones instead of Hannah." Rebecca didn't look surprised.

"Of course he does." Booth stared at her.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Seeley, it's obvious that you love her. You've taken bullets, bombs, serial killers. My God, you even faked your own death for her." She pointed out. "Parker can only love and trust her because you loved and trusted her first."

"She's my partner, Rebecca. It comes with the territory. She has done every single one of those same things for me." She shook her head.

"When are you going to realize that you are more than just her partner?" Booth was suddenly interested in his jacket hem. The silence told her all that she needed to know. "You already have." Rebecca realized.

"She's my partner." He said again, this time the honesty of how he really felt about the situation seeping into his voice. It was the only thing he needed to say to explain his being stuck between a rock and a hard place.

"Seeley," Rebecca warned. "What about Hannah?"

"I know." He muttered. "I'm going to take care of it."

"I'm sorry." She said, knowing that Booth was the guy who always did the right thing, even if it destroyed his own life. He simply nodded.

"Grounded until Friday." He reminded her with a wave towards Parker's room.

"I'll make sure to serve him extra vegetables." She said with a sad smile as he left the apartment without another word.

OOOOO

When Booth entered his own apartment, he was mentally exhausted. First he had been scared to death, then angry, then sucker-punched by his ex about his future with his partner. The last thing he wanted to do tonight was see another human being, let alone have to deal with Hannah. He went to the cupboard and poured himself a stiff drink, knowing that he was going to need it. He downed it quickly and poured himself another. He picked it up and prepared to carry it in to meet Hannah, but when he turned around, she was standing behind him, a suitcase planted firmly at her feet. Booth took one look at the suitcase and back at her and shook his head.

"Not you too." He said, setting the drink back down on the counter.

"Seeley, we both know this isn't working." She started. "It was better in the desert." He didn't bother arguing with her. "When we first met I thought that we would be a perfect fit, but…"

"You are perfect." He told her, meaning it.

"You too." She said. "But perfect is, kinda boring." She said as Booth let out a chuckle.

"I guess an FBI agent and a war correspondent should have figured that one out." She smiled and nodded. "We're never satisfied unless someone is trying to kill us."

"We're both risk-takers." She said, causing Booth to look down at his shoes.

"Gamblers." He muttered aloud.

"Exactly." She nodded. "Do me one last favor?" She asked, wanting to leave as friends.

"Anything." He replied.

"Talk to Bones. She does love you, even if she refuses to admit it to save your partnership."

"How do you know?" He asked. Hannah and Bones had only crossed paths twice in the few months that they had been back.

"It takes one to know one." She said with a kind smile. She leaned up and kissed him one last time before picking up her bag. "Goodbye Seeley." She said softly.

OOOOO

Booth pounded on Brennan's door, despite it being nearly midnight. When she finally opened the door, it took a second to process. She was in a jade silk kimono. Her hair was up and she looked completely ravishing.

"Booth? What are you doing here?" She asked.

"We need to talk." He said as he entered her apartment.

"What's going on?" She asked. "Are you drunk?" She asked him after smelling the alcohol on his breath.

"No. I just…." He stopped to formulate his thoughts. "I need to apologize. Parker told me about your conversation tonight." He started. "He told me all about how you talked to him about your family and our relationship. I haven't been a very good friend or family member to you lately, and that's my fault."

"No, Booth…" Brennan said, not wanting him to apologize.

"Yes, it is. I've been ignoring you and throwing myself into a relationship with Hannah to make myself feel like I'm moving on. But I'm not." He said simply. Brennan looked up from her tea in surprise. "In fact, this time apart only made me miss you more. And Hannah knew it." He sighed. "When I got home from dropping Parker off, we broke up."

"I'm sorry." She said, sincerely meaning it.

"Don't be." He said. "It was the right thing to do and we both knew it. Her and I, we were two gamblers, and a relationship can't exist like that. It needs some balance." Brennan didn't know what to say. "Look, when I stood on those steps two years ago, I started by saying that I'm the gambler, which is true, but what I forgot at the time was that you're the scientist. You taught me that nothing can be concluded until all the facts are in. Well the facts are officially in now. I tried, I tried harder than I've ever tried at anything, and I know now that I am always going to love you." He said with a pathetic shrug. "And whether you trust me enough to be with me or if you just want to remain partners, my feelings for you aren't going to change." Brennan stood in front of him, tears stinging her eyes.

"Booth…" Brennan said as she felt her heart crushing.

"No, let me finish." He said, starting to feel his own tears prick at his eyes. "I'm here, because you're the best, Bones." He said simply. She was clearly moved by this statement, and her poorly held-back tears affected Booth more than he realized they would. "And I thought I could settle for second-best, but I can't. If that means being alone for the rest of my life, then I guess that's what I'll have to do." He said. "I'm not here to convince you to give me another chance or to make you change your mind. I know that you have your reasons, and they are probably all more valid and thought out than I will ever know, but…I just want you to know that I'm sorry, first for pushing you and then for pushing you away. Parker was right. You are a part of our family and from now on, nothing is going to change that." There was a few seconds of silence but they seemed to stretch on for hours for Booth, who was awaiting Brennan's reaction.

Brennan wiped away her tears from her cheeks as she thought about his statement. She had always known that Booth loved her, but she never wanted to push beyond the boundaries of their working relationship. She had been terrified, not of loving him, but of losing him. Now, for the first time in their relationship, she believed that he was never going to leave her.

"You really mean that, don't you?" She finally said.

"Every word." He confirmed.

"But you love the idea of love, of growing old with someone. It's what you've always wanted." He nodded as he looked down at his shoes. "You spoke so highly of it that I was starting to believe it was worth all of the risks." He looked up quickly to read her face. "And Parker…" she didn't finish, but her face showed how much his high opinion of her had touched her. "Let's just say he takes after you more than you will ever know. He's got all of your charm but he's even more dangerous because he actually argues using logic." Brennan said with a smile.

"Booth men can be very persuasive when they want to be." He said.

"So I've read." She said. Booth pretended to ignore her comment on his ancestry.

"So what are you saying?" He had to know.

"I've thought about that night and what I said many times over the past few years. I've often wondered if I made the wrong decision. Most recently I had those thoughts tonight while talking to Parker." She said honestly. "I don't want to wonder anymore." She told him. "And if you are willing to try spending the rest of your life alone for me, then I guess I'm willing to try _not_ spending the rest of my life alone for you." She said.

"Really?" Booth said, completely surprised by her willingness to try this relationship.

"If the FBI approves." She added.

"They will." He promised quickly.

"Booth, you can't know that for certain." She said.

"After we left for a year and showed them what it would be like without us, they'll give us anything we want to make sure we stay. We have a lot of leverage."

"I find I'm uncomfortable with the idea of using unsolved murder victims as leverage." She said seriously.

"So we'll get Sweets to talk to them instead. He's our biggest fan." Booth offered. He would say anything if it meant that she would agree to try the relationship out. He was still staring at her, unable to take his eyes off of her in case this was actually a dream. "Are we really going to try this?" He asked as he slid an arm around her waist.

"It would seem that way." She said, suddenly realizing how close Booth was.

"Would it be okay if I kissed you? You know, without the FBI's permission?" He asked, inching closer to her face every second.

"I wouldn't be opposed to that." She said with a smile as she wrapped her hand around the back of his neck. He held her face close, refusing to close the gap between them before taking her in, memorizing the moment. Once he couldn't wait any longer, he kissed her. It started slowly at first, full of tender emotion but Booth was surprised when it was Brennan who accelerated the kiss, silently needing more. When they finally pulled away, Brennan placed her hand on Booth's chest, hoping to stop the room from spinning.

"So worth the wait." Booth mumbled to himself before opening his eyes. When he did, he was surprised by what he saw. Brennan's own lustful eyes were looking up into his, her hand lightly resting on his chest. He could feel her palm on the other side of his beating heart. The sight could have killed lesser men. When she finally spoke, she was clearly short of breath.

"I find Sweets' metaphor of a dam breaking to be a very accurate description of what I'm feeling right now." Brennan said honestly. Booth nodded, but kept his distance.

"But we're waiting for the FBI." Booth half-stated, half-asked.

"Right." She said, "Because to have intercourse before then would be foolish." She rationalized.

"Right." He agreed.

"But I would very much like to experience that with you." She said honestly. Booth smiled.

"Now you know how I felt when you left me standing in the rain all those years ago." He told her. "And several times since, actually." Brennan looked surprised by this information.

"When?" He waited a few beats before speaking.

"When we were in Vegas, with that whole Roxanne routine? You were the hottest thing I've ever seen." Brennan blushed. "Or that time on the plane to China when you had that whole, brilliant and sexy librarian thing working for you."

"I don't know what that means." She frowned.

"It means you're kind of a tease, Bones." He smiled. "But it's a good thing." He reassured her.

"I know. Angela told me that it means that you've often found yourself wanting to sleep with me, but knew that you couldn't." Brennan defined it. "I've often wished that you had a more lax sense of true love so that we could have had a purely sexual relationship." She told him. Booth knew that, coming from her, it was supposed to be a compliment, so he decided to take it as such. "However, there was that one time…" She muttered.

"What one time?" She smiled at his shocked reaction. "What one time?" He asked again, desperately wanting to know what she was talking about.

"When you told me that making love was the only true way to connect with someone sexually and everything else was just crappy sex. You made a very convincing argument." She told him.

"Breaking the laws of physics." He had remembered her line. "You remembered that?"

"You were extremely confident in your beliefs. It was the first time in our relationship when I found myself wondering if you knew something that I didn't, that maybe I was missing something in my logic." She told him.

"There's nothing logical about making love, Bones." He said with a smile. "I plan on showing you that in the very near future." He said as he wrapped his arm around her waist a little tighter.

"I'll look forward to your demonstration." She said with a grin.

**A/N: So I tried to end it on a semi-completed note since I'm not sure when I can add the next chapter. Nothing is worse than getting a cliff-hanger and then not updating for weeks. Thanks for Reading!**


	3. The Shrink with the Green Light

**A/N: Again, you guys are incredibly sweet. Thanks for all the reviews! Happy Reading!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

When Booth and Bones walked into Sweets' office the next morning, he could tell just by looking at them that something was different. The couple usually walked in together, in a way that showed that it was two against one when they sat down on the couch. Today, they both looked nervous and they were staying at least a foot apart from each other in a way that was uncharacteristic for the two. Their body language suggested that they were trying just a little too hard to look like they were disconnected from one another.

"Oh my God." Sweets said as he realized as they both sat down as far away from each other on the couch as possible. "It's about time." He said to Booth as he sat down across from him.

"How could you possibly tell from us walking into your office?" Brennan asked, her curiosity refusing to be contained.

"I'll take that as a confirmation." Sweets said cheerfully.

"Yes, Sweets." Booth said, exasperatedly. "Mommy and Daddy finally got together." Booth said as he rolled his eyes. "And seriously?" He turned to Brennan. "What happened to telling him together?"

"Come on. You guys were playing it so cool that even Dr. Brennan would have seen the change in your appearances. It's written all over your faces." He said as he gestured to them with his pen. "So, let's talk about it. When did it happen? More importantly, how did it happen?" This question was directed at Brennan, who Sweets knew would answer him.

"Last night, Booth came over and we talked about it and we decided that it was time to give a personal relationship a try." Sweets frowned.

"Can I just ask one question?" Sweets wanted to know, not buying the story.

"Can we stop you?" Brennan asked him. Booth chuckled and Sweets ignored her.

"What happened yesterday that changed your minds?"

"What do you mean?" Booth asked.

"There's no way that after five years of you two ignoring the issues between you that you could mutually decide on the same night to just give a relationship a whirl as if it were nothing. So I want to know what the catalyst was." He said, staring at Brennan. As they both told him the story about Parker and Hannah and Rebecca, Sweets couldn't help but be surprised by the change in the two clients in front of him.

"That's it." Booth said with a shrug. "Now we're here. Oh, but there's just one condition." Booth added.

"Yes, the FBI has to approve first." Brennan said.

"Done." Sweets said simply.

"Wait, what?" Booth said. "What do you mean, done. That's it?"

"The FBI has taken the position that you two have been secretly dating each other for the past five years. Why do you think they make you attend these sessions with me? No other partners have to do it."

"What?" Brennan and Booth said at the same time.

"So the Bureau has just been hedging their bets by making us sit here once a week with you?" Booth asked.

"Pretty much." Sweets said, still giddy from the news that the couple had finally seen the light. "I would like to have an individual session with each of you, but otherwise, I see no problems with going forward. In fact, I think your new personal relationship will only improve your partnership."

"See, I told you he was our biggest fan." Booth said as he turned his attention to Brennan.

"I never said you were wrong." Brennan said, unfazed by Booth's need to prove his accuracy.

"I'm actually kind of surprised at how well this whole thing seemed to play out. You two have clearly had a positive effect on each other. I'm very proud of you both for stepping outside of your comfort zones and taking a chance on one another. I promise you that you won't regret it."

"You can't know that." Brennan said.

"Bones…" Booth warned, not wanting to piss off the boy that held the power to green light their relationship.

"Well, it's true. It's purely guesswork. He's back to being a soft scientist." Brennan told her partner as she gestured to the table. "He can't tell what we will or won't regret in the future. He might as well have a crystal ball in front of him."

"Ouch, Bones!" He turned to look at his partner, surprised and slightly proud of her attack on the young doctor. "Sorry, but I think you have to give round one to her, Doc." Booth pointed out with a guilty smile. He took too much pleasure in annoying Sweets. "I mean, a soft scientist? What would Freud say about that one?" Booth teased, knowing Sweets' penchant for vocabulary and double meanings. "Don't be so _hard_ on the guy, Bones. He's just doing his job." They both chuckled at Booth's double entendre.

"And we're back to attacking the psychiatrist. That's fantastic." Sweets said out loud to no one in particular.

"See, nothing's changed." Booth said satisfied as he clapped and rubbed his hands together, preparing to leave. "Let's go Bones. We've got a lot more people to shock and it's already nine fifteen." He said as he glanced at his watch and picked up his jacket.

"Bye Sweets." Brennan said as she followed her partner out the door.

OOOOO

"Dr. Brennan, please sit down." Sweets said as she walked through his office door. "So how did it go at the lab?"

"How did what go?" She asked.

"Telling your co-workers about you and Agent Booth's new relationship."

"They seemed pleased." She said indifferently. "Angela and Hodgins smiled, Mr. Edison groaned, Wendall shook Booth's hand and then Cam muttered the words "Finally" before making us all go back to work."

"That was it." Sweets said, surprised.

"Yes, we are very professional at the lab. This should in no way interfere with my people or my career. It was Booth's job that put our partnership in jeopardy."

"So it's the FBI's fault that you two have waited so long to get together." Sweets asked.

"Not at all, but it was the last obstacle that stood in the way." She said.

"What concerns do you have now that you know the FBI won't mind you two being together?" Brennan shook her head.

"I don't know what you mean." She said, furrowing her eyebrows.

"You previously told me that you didn't want a relationship with Booth, so what changed?"

"I didn't want a relationship that meant the destruction of what we had already built. However, if the FBI is okay with it, then we can simply add other new facets to our partnership. In fact, we've been working together for a few days now and everything is basically the same as it was before."

"You mean, besides the sex." Sweets confirmed. Brennan shot him a look.

"Can I give you a bit of advice? Don't ever say that in front of Booth. He's very sensitive about the issue." She warned Sweets.

"Why do you think that is?" Sweets asked.

"It's because he believes in a puritan form of religion that hinders his ability to talk openly about sexual intercourse with others."

"Are you worried about how Booth's faith might come between you in the future?" Sweets asked, reading into her comment.

"Booth's free to believe in whatever he wants." Brennan said.

"And you still don't believe in a higher power?" Brennan shook her head.

"No." She said simply.

"What about marriage?" He asked.

"I don't believe that a piece of paper stating that I belong to another person has any substantiation in reality." She said. "But that's not how Booth sees it." Sweets urged her to continue. "Booth has described marriage in the past as more than a legally binding document and instead that it is a partnership. An understanding that two people will take care of one another and protect each other for the rest of their lives." Brennan said, the smallest iota of emotion coming through in her voice. "If that's how he views it, then a piece of paper shouldn't make a bit of difference either way."

"So you think that Agent Booth views marriage the same way he views your current partnership." Sweets clarified.

"I can't definitively say what Booth's opinion is of either idea at this moment in time." Brennan stated, feeling like she was on the witness stand. Sweets knew when she was shutting down, so he let it go.

"Thank you Dr. Brennan. If you ever need to talk, my door is always open." He said, hoping that she would rely on him in the future if she wasn't ready to talk about it right now.

OOOOO

"Agent Booth."

"Got to keep this short, Sweets. I've got to leave to pick up Parker in twenty minutes. I've got to drive him to soccer practice."

"Does he know that his plan was successful? That you and Dr. Brennan are seeing each other now?"

"Not yet, no." Booth said. "Although Rebecca did tell him that Hannah left. He was quite happy about it, I'm told."

"In our last meeting, it seemed that you gave Parker the credit with finally breaking through to Dr. Brennan emotionally."

"I don't know about that." Booth stopped. "If anything, he reminded me of why I love Bones so much in the first place." Booth said before realizing he said it in front of Sweets, who was smiling at the sincere statement. "Parker and Bones, they get each other, you know?" He said. "She doesn't connect to many people, but she's always gotten along with Parker as if they've known each other forever. They see the world the same way."

"I could understand that. Children see things in black and white, much the same way that science does."

"It's more than that. It's the way that she talks to him, teaches him things. He trusts her. She opens up to him, talks to him about things she would never tell anyone else. You can see the bond that they have." He chuckled as he remembered looking through the window at the two in the diner.

"You like seeing them connect." Sweets said. Booth nodded. "Are you concerned with telling Parker that you are dating Dr. Brennan?" He asked.

"No." Booth said quickly. Sweets stared at him. "I know they're crazy about each other, but I just…I don't know what he is expecting from her."

"Why?"

"Because he loves her, and she loves him, and if it doesn't work out…" Booth paused. "I'm just afraid that he will expect too much for a new relationship."

"I think it's very wise for you to question that." Sweets said. "But I want to make sure you understand the difference between Parker getting hurt, and you getting hurt." He explained. "You cannot protect Parker anymore than you can protect yourself in this situation. You have to gamble and hope that it works out." Sweets said. "By taking that leap forward, you are acknowledging the fact that you cannot go back. You've learned this lesson the hard way before." Sweets reminded him about that first case. "You don't want to miss any more chances."

"I told Bones that." Booth said.

"Told her what?"

"That I regret letting her get in that cab."

"Why?"

"Because if I hadn't, we might have gotten together back then."

"You might have." Sweets said. "And you would have never worked on another case together because it was against the rules." Sweets told him. "Knowing Dr. Brennan as well as you do now, do you think that it would have been better to be her boyfriend then, or her partner now?" Booth stared at Sweets, knowing what he was suggesting.

"You don't think we would have survived." Booth said. Sweets shook his head. The thought had never occurred to Booth. He had always pictured them getting in that cab together and living happily ever after. The truth was that they hadn't made it two days after that night without nearly killing each other. Could they actually do this? "What about now?" Booth asked, suddenly feeling apprehensive.

"Now you know what you're fighting for." Sweets said simply. "You both know what you stand to lose and what you hope to gain. It took this time together, to get to know each other, to trust each other. You've both relied on each other for so long that it will seem easy. On the other hand, there won't be any first dates or honeymoon period. It's going to be real and affect every part of your lives, but you can finally be open and honest with yourself and with others. I expect it to be a challenge, but it's going to be what you wanted it to be." Sweets said.

"And what's that?"

"True love." Sweets said.


	4. The Genius Who Learned

**A/N: Do you also find that whenever you have a ten page paper due in 18 hours, your muse suddenly flares up and you get distracted from your homework? Seems like midterms will have to wait. ;) Enjoy!**

"Oh my God." Angela said as she shut Brennan's office door and locked it behind her. "You come in and drop this huge piece of news on the lab and then disappear for the next eight hours! You can't do that to your best friend. I want details. I want to know what happened and how and…okay, you have to tell me, is the sex as good as I imagine it to be because, after five years of sexual tension, it has to be just…wow." She said.

"Angela, we've been together all of fifteen hours and we were working a case about a murdered teenager for eight of those hours." Brennan pointed out. "There's not much to tell."

"Okay, so spill about how it happened." Angela said, pulling her friend over to the couch and refusing to let her leave until she heard the entire story. As Brennan talked, Angela couldn't help but punctuate the story with some squeals and some aws.

"And then he left and I met him at his office this morning." She said.

"Whoa, wait a second. You haven't slept together?" Angela asked. Brennan shook her head. "But you wanted to, right?" She asked her friend, concerned.

"Of course, Ang." Brennan said. "Do you remember what I told you about his conversation about making love?" She said, as if that were all it took to prove her point. "I was very tempted."

"Are you kidding? I still hear flashes of that conversation every time he walks into the room and I wasn't even there for it." Angela said. Brennan smiled briefly before she got a pensive look on her face. "Oh no. I know that face." Angela said with a concerned look. "What is it?"

"I'm just wondering how this is going to work. I mean, it's Booth." She said. "I have no experience dating someone I already know so well."

"You're afraid it's going to be awkward." Angela said in understanding. "I get it, there's a lot of pressure on your relationship. If it doesn't work out…" She didn't finish the sentence because she saw Booth walking towards the office. "Don't worry, Sweetie. Just look at him." She said, her own lust filling her voice. "It's going to work out." She said quietly as she patted her friend's knee.

"Angela." Booth said as she opened the office door.

"Agent Booth." She said formally with a wink of her eye.

"Everything okay?" He asked Brennan as he walked into her office.

"Yes." Brennan said. "It's just been a day full of explanations and I expected it, but it's a lot more tiring than I anticipated." Booth nodded whole-heartedly. "Are you ready to go?" She asked as she shut down her computer.

"Yeah." Booth grabbed her jacket for her. "Are you hungry?" He asked. Brennan nodded. "Wong Fu's?" He offered.

"That sounds perfect." Brennan said.

"We'll go home, eat some good food, drink some wine. You'll feel relaxed in no time." He promised.

OOOOO

Three steps into the doorway of Brennan's apartment and the Chinese food was thrown onto the counter absent-mindedly by Booth, who was currently lip-locked with his favorite forensic anthropologist.

"I thought you were hungry?" Booth said as he pulled away briefly to remove his coat.

"Oh I am." Brennan said with a dirty smirk before kissing him fiercely again. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he lifted her up by her thighs and carried her into her bedroom, slamming the door behind him.

OOOOO

"Good morning." Booth said as he opened his eyes to find Brennan watching him.

"Hi." She smiled sleepily. He reached over and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him. She groaned as she glanced at the clock. "I need to get ready for work."

"No you don't." Booth said, pulling her chin towards him so that she couldn't see the clock.

"I'm going to be late." She told him.

"You can be a few minutes late." Booth said as he kept his arm over her torso, refusing to let her get up. "I'll make it worth your while." She rolled her eyes as he started wiggling his eye brows and smiling like a fool.

"Don't use your charm smile on me." Brennan said, but the small grin that appeared on her face let Booth know that his persuasion was working.

"I can't help it if my smile affects you. I'm just a naturally happy guy." He defended himself.

"You should be very happy after last night." Brennan smiled wickedly.

"Yes I am." He smiled. "You seem to be pretty happy yourself."

"It was most definitely everything you promised it would be." She informed him. "Although, I don't think we actually broke the laws of physics, but it certainly felt close." She said with a smile. Booth's heart overflowed at her admission and he couldn't help but kiss her in response. "You know, we are in a relationship now." She reminded him. "So you can let me get out of bed knowing that I will return eventually." She said as she rolled over on top of him.

"Eventually isn't good enough. Call in sick." He requested. "We're not on a case, and the mini-squints can work on the bones from Limbo."

"They're interns, not slaves." She said. "They are supposed to be at the Jeffersonian to learn. From me." She added. "That's hard to do if I'm in bed with you."

"Oh I'm sure they could learn a thing or two." Booth smirked as he rolled them both over so that he was on top of her again.

OOOOO

"Parker!" Rebecca yelled up the stairs. "Your dad is here." Parker pushed the curtains away from his bedroom window to see his father pull up in the drive-way. "Are you ready?" He waited a few more seconds before watching Bones get out of the passenger side of the car.

"Yeah!" He called down to his mom before barreling down the steps with his packed duffle bag.

"Did you finish your homework?" She asked as Booth let himself into the house.

"Yep!"Parker said as he ran out onto the front porch to meet Bones.

"Sunday night okay?" Booth asked.

"Sunday is fine." She said.

"Listen, Rebecca." Booth started. "I wanted to let you know that Bones and I…we're, together now." He said, unsure of what to call them. Rebecca looked surprised.

"Really?" She said. Booth nodded.

"I'm going to tell Parker this weekend, but I figured you should hear it from me." He said.

"Congratulations Seeley." She said with a smile. "I hope you two are happy together."

"Thanks." He said. "I'll see you on Sunday."

OOOOO

"Dad, can we go to the park and practice?" Parker asked.

"Practice what?" Brennan asked Parker as she turned around from the front seat.

"Football. Dad's teaching me how to play all the positions so that when I get to 7th grade, I can play whatever position I want." Brennan smiled at Booth.

"That sounds fascinating. Can I observe?" She asked enthralled.

"You want to watch me teach my son how to play football?" Booth asked, surprised by Brennan's request.

"I would love to observe a bonding ritual between a father and a son, yes." Brennan said.

"What did she say?" Parker asked his dad.

"Yes." Booth replied laconically.

"Oh. Great! You can try and block me from running the ball." Parker smiled.

"Isn't football the game where they tackle each other?" Brennan whispered to Booth.

"Yeah, but not when they are little. Now we just sort of run the plays." Brennan frowned, clearly not understanding his vernacular. "I'm teaching him the skills so that one day, when he's older, he won't be able to be tackled." He said more clearly as her mouth opened in a silent 'oh' as she comprehended. Booth smiled at her adorable face. "You know what, why don't you just do your anthropology thing and observe for a while and then when you get the hang of it, you can join in." Booth said.

"Deal." Brennan said.

OOOOO

"Come on Bones. You've got the ball, you've got to get to the other side of that tree before I get you. What are you going to do?" Booth teased, his smile growing by the minute as he moved back and forth in front of her.

"Wait. Where did Parker go?" She asked as she straightened up and looked around. Booth glanced behind him just in time to see Brennan go flying by. Parker was giggling from behind the tree as his father fell for the oldest trick play in the book.

"Oh, Bones. You do have a steep learning curve." He said proudly, slightly ashamed that he fell for it. "But, given recent events, I don't think that's quite a fair play." He said, giving his son a glare again. Parker just chuckled and gave Brennan a high-five. Booth snuck up behind her and picked her up by her waist and spun her around.

"I want to tell him." Brennan said quietly.

"Now?" Booth said, a smile on his face showing that he didn't really mind.

"Why not?"

"Go ahead then." He said.

"Parker!" Brennan said, calling him back over to where they were standing. He sauntered over, football still in his hand. "Remember when you told me that you disagreed with the FBI's rule about dating partners?"

"Yeah."

"Well, you made such a good case that your father and I agreed with your assessment, so we talked to the FBI and they gave us permission to start dating."

"Really?" Parker asked his father. Booth just nodded. "You told me you broke up with Hannah, but you didn't tell me that it was because of Bones!"

"Well, actually, Hannah broke up with me before I got together with Bones." Booth said. "But yeah…"

"So you're dating each other now?"

"Yes." Brennan nodded.

"Are you going to move in with us too?" He asked hesitantly. Brennan, sensing Parker's sudden change in tone, glanced at Booth to gage the reaction.

"No, Bones has her own place. Remember?" He told his son, worried about how concerned Parker looked at the idea.

"Good. I really like her pool." He said, sounding relieved. Booth sighed and Brennan smiled.

"Come on Bub. It's getting cold and it's time for dinner."

"Can we get hot chocolate?" He asked his father as he climbed into the back of the car.

"For dinner?" He raised his eyebrow. "That's not exactly healthy." He said as he shut the door behind his son.

"Booth, you never eat well." Brennan reminded him. "Why start now?" She asked, a slight mischievous grin on her face.

"Are you teasing me, Bones?" Booth whispered as he backed her up against the car, honestly surprised by the fact that she was being so playful with him.

"You're the people reader, Booth. You tell me." She played it coy before nibbling on her lower lip. Knowing her as well as he did, Booth was fairly certain that she had no idea what she was doing, but he couldn't help himself. He kissed her quickly, but passionately before reaching behind her to open the car door for her.

"Get in, Miss Smarty pants. We'll go to the diner."

OOOOO

"Did you brush your teeth?" Booth asked as his son emerged from the bathroom in his pajamas.

"Yes." Parker groaned at Booth's double-checking. "Can I read before I go to bed?" He asked his father.

"Sure, for a little while." Booth said as he watched his son climb into his bed and pull a large book out of his duffle. "What is that?" He asked.

"A book about insects. I got it from Dr. Hodgins."

"It looks like it weighs as much as you do." He observed.

"It's an encyclopedia." Parker said.

"Well, I'll leave you to it then." Booth said. "Goodnight."

"Dad?"

"Hmm?" He said as he stopped in the doorway.

"I'm glad that you're dating Bones." Parker told him.

"Me too. It would seem that your evil little plan worked out for the best, hmm?" Booth smiled. Parker nodded.

"Do you think you are going to marry her?" He asked. Booth was surprised by the question.

"Parker, I only started dating her this week."

"So. You've known each other forever." Booth cursed Parker's logical black and white mind. Why couldn't he have been blessed with a child who believed the lies that parents sold all the time? He sat down on the bed with a sigh.

"Do you remember Bones telling you about her past?" Parker nodded. "Well, she's gotten pretty used to people leaving her behind, so for now, it's our job to just show her how good things can be when families spend time together. Okay?"

"Okay." Booth kissed his son's forehead and stood up. "Night Dad."

"Night kid." Booth said as he shut the bedroom door. He chuckled at his son's gumption as he walked into the living room. His phone was lying on the table and he picked it up. He sent off a quick goodnight text to Bones and headed for bed.

OOOOO

Brennan was lying in bed with her newest manuscript in front of her when her phone buzzed next to her. She picked it up, knowing exactly who would be texting her this late at night.

_Sleep tight Bones_

She smiled at the message and sent him a quick reply.

_You too Booth. Goodnight._

She knew that it was irrational to feel this way, but she somehow felt warmer and safer knowing that he was thinking about her on the other side of town. She closed her eyes, surprised by the feeling, but wanting to hold onto it. In the past week, Booth had taught her how to break the laws of physics, play football, and feel warm and safe when she was completely alone. She turned off the light and sunk down into her bed, her last thoughts spent on what else the charming FBI agent had in store for her.


	5. The Mom Who Cooked

Disclaimer: I don't own jack

"Bones, you're a really good cook." Parker said as he stuffed some more macaroni and cheese into his mouth.

"Hey, no talking with your mouth full." Booth chastised his son.

"Thank you." Brennan said. "I'm glad that you like it. You'll have to help me next time and I'll teach you the recipe."

"I don't know how to cook." He informed her.

"Oh, it's easy. A smart child like you would have no problems learning. I would be happy to teach you." Brennan said.

"Who taught you how to cook?"

"My mother." Booth couldn't help but stare analytically at his partner's reaction to his son's prodding. He knew that it killed her to talk about her mother and he was surprised that she offered up the information so willingly.

"I thought that she left?" Parker said, his small eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

"Parker!" Booth warned.

"It was before she left." She said with a kind smile towards the boy. She caught Booth's watchful eye. He silently asked her if she was okay and she nodded infinitesimally, letting him know that she was fine discussing this. It was strange how after so many years of working together, they didn't have to speak out loud to have a conversation.

"She did a real good job, Bones." Parker said.

"Yes, she did." Booth agreed as he took another large bite of his meal.

OOOOO

"I'm all done. Can I go play my Wii?" Parker asked. Booth looked over his son's plate before nodding to let him go.

"You have about thirty minutes before you need to hit the showers." He reminded as he picked up the plates from the table. He brought the plates over to the sink. Brennan reached for the sponge to start washing the dishes but Booth grabbed it out of her hand. "What do you think you are doing?" He asked her.

"I was going to wash the dishes." She said, confused as to how he could have misinterpreted her actions.

"No you aren't." He told her. "You cook and I clean, that's the deal." He said.

"What deal?" She asked.

"The deal I just made up." He said. "Now go relax."

"Booth…" She whined, letting him know that she thought he was being unreasonable.

"Bones…" He mocked her.

"Can I at least help you dry?" She asked. He shook his head before giving her a quick kiss.

"Go play with Parker."

"I don't know what he's doing." She said as she glanced towards the living room.

"You're a genius, you'll figure it out." He said as he proceeded to turn his back to her and get to work on the dishes.

OOOOO

Booth tucked Parker in and found his way back to his bedroom. Bones was sitting in his bed, laptop in front of her, typing away. He paused in the doorway and leaned against the frame, watching her work. He didn't want to disrupt the scene in front of him. Without missing a beat, she caught him staring.

"Enjoying the view?" She asked, eyes still on the computer in front of her.

"Immensely." He smiled. He turned around and shut the bedroom door before he made his way over to her. He smirked as he shut her laptop lid to get her attention.

"Booth! I was in the middle of a sentence." She frowned as he set the computer on the dresser and returned to the bed.

"You can finish it tomorrow." He said as he slid over her, a familiar stubborn glint in his eye. It was the same look that he had when he forced her to leave her office to eat. He was going to get his way and there wasn't anything that she could do about it. That didn't mean that she would make things easy for him.

"You can't just come in here and stop me from working." She said, a fire in her eyes that told Booth she was just fighting to fight.

"I can't help myself." He said honestly. "You have no idea what seeing you in my bed is doing to me." He admitted darkly as his eyes scanned her body. "I've dreamt about it so many times." He pulled her down underneath him until her head hit the pillow. He kissed her slowly, wanting to take his time. She unconsciously sighed into his mouth as his fingers slowly unbuttoned her blouse, stopping only to play with her creamy skin along the way.

"Booth." She whispered as he moved his lips down her torso. "What about Parker?"

"I locked the door." Booth mumbled against her stomach.

"Booth, he's probably not even asleep yet." She murmured. "We can't." Booth sighed, knowing that she was probably right. The last thing he needed was for his son to know that he was having sex in the next room. He glanced up to examine whether or not he could persuade her with his charm smile. One look and he knew that she was going to hold fast.

"Fine." He pouted, but relented as he sat up.

"And bring me back my laptop please." She requested.

"You've been working very hard on this latest book." He mentioned casually.

"No more than usual." She said. "You've just seen me writing it more now than in the past." She pointed out.

"True." He thought out loud as he handed her computer back to her. "I'm seeing a lot more of you these days." She smiled.

"Why do I have the feeling that you mean more than what you just said?" She asked him.

"I was just thinking about dinner tonight when you talked about your mom with Parker." He said. "I never knew that she was the one who taught you to cook." Brennan nodded and waited for him to continue. "I love learning new things about you." He admitted. "Even after seven years of knowing you, you still surprise me."

"Seven years…" She murmured as she shook her head. "Has it really been that long?"

"Well, we spent a few months apart here and there, but yeah, seven years." He nodded. "Parker was three when we started working together full time." He said, unable to fully remember those days.

"Now he's in fourth grade." She reminded him, causing him to groan. "I'm sorry, does that make you feel old?" She teased, knowing her partner so well.

"Not old, just…" He paused. "Yeah, okay. Old works." She smiled at him

"You're not old." She promised him. "Older…" She said with a big teasing smile that caused Booth to pick up the nearest pillow and throw it at her.

OOOOO

Brennan sat with Parker in her kitchen, going over their plans for the day. Booth had been unexpectedly called away for a meeting and they had the afternoon to themselves. She had assured Booth that they would be fine, but she saw the hesitancy in her partner's eyes at leaving them alone all afternoon together. She had taken it as the perfect opportunity to give Parker a cooking lesson.

"Okay, so the first question we have to answer is 'What is your favorite food?'" She asked Parker.

"That's the first step in learning how to cook?" Parker asked.

"Of course, you don't want to learn to cook something that you don't want to eat." She pointed out.

"Good point." Parker said as he thought about it. "My favorite food is pizza." He decided.

"Great! Pizza is perfect because once you learn the basics, you can add whatever toppings you want. It's a very creative dish." She told him. "Next, we have to find a recipe. Let me show you something." She pulled out a box of recipes cards from her cupboard. "This was my mother's." She informed Parker. "It's a lifetime full of delicious recipes so it's always the first place I check."

"Cool." She cracked open the lid and went leafing through the recipes.

"Ah-ha." She said as she pulled one from the middle of the stack. "Pizza dough." She handed the yellowed card to Parker. "Since this is your first pizza, we'll start with the dough and buy the rest of the toppings and the sauce, how does that sound?"

"Good idea." He said, knowing he was out of his comfort zone.

"Okay, let's read the recipe and make a grocery list of all the ingredients we don't have." She said as she handed the boy a pad of paper and a pen.

"Hey, Bones?" Parker said, before he started.

"Yes?" She said as she turned around to give him her full attention.

"Do moms usually teach their kids how to cook?" He asked her.

"I'm not sure. I think it depends on the situation." She added. "Why do you ask?" She asked.

"Because you're a really good teacher, and I think it would have been really sad if you didn't have anyone to teach." He said honestly. She smiled at him. "I'm glad that it could be me."

"Me too." She said honestly. "You're a perfect student."

"How do you know?"

"You never stop asking questions." She told him with a smile.

OOOOO

When Booth walked through Brennan's front door, he was instantly confronted with one of the best smells he had ever known.

"Something smells delicious." Booth said as he walked into the kitchen. "What did you make?" He asked Brennan.

"I didn't make anything." She told him. "Parker did."

"Parker?" He said in surprise

"He made everything we are about to eat." She said proudly.

"Really?" He looked at his son, who was mixing a salad in a bowl.

"Yep, and I'm not done, so you should go wait in the living room." Parker said as he paused stirring long enough to look at his dad.

"Okay," He said, raising his hands. "Let me know when it's safe to come back." Brennan followed Booth back out to the living room with a beer for him.

"How was your meeting?" She asked.

"Long. Training has a tendency to be redundant in nature." He said. "What about you? Did Parker behave himself?"

"Are you kidding? Parker is fantastic. He asks questions non-stop and he always admits when he feels uncomfortable doing something on his own. I wish I had a graduate level class with people like that." She said as a crash came from the kitchen.

"And he's still a nine year old boy, so you might want to get back in there." Booth reminded her. Brennan smiled and headed back to the kitchen. Booth had to admit, it felt good to hear the compliments about his son. He worried about him, as was his responsibility as a father, but to hear that he was doing a good job was comforting.

"Okay, I think we're ready." Parker shouted from the kitchen. Booth stood up and grabbed his beer, pausing as he considered the scene that was about to unfold in the kitchen. As he entered, he was surprised by what he found. The kitchen table was set and a pizza was sitting in the middle. It wasn't the most beautiful pizza he had ever seen, the toppings were lopsided and uneven, but for a child making it, it certainly smelled delicious.

"Wow! Pizza?" He asked his son, who made his way over to him.

"It's our favorite." He said. "Pepperoni."

"It looks great, Bub, really." He said. "Have a seat and we'll dig in." Parker smiled as he sat down.

"Wait!" Parker said as his father reached for the pizza cutter. "This part is for Bones." He said, motioning to the pepperoni-less section. Booth stared at his son. "She doesn't eat meat." He said, as if it were obvious.

"Right." Booth said, completely forgetting that little detail for a second. That explained a lot about the look of the pizza. He cut her slice out for her before dividing up the rest of the pizza. She brought over the bowl of salad and a plate of breadsticks and set them down on the table as well.

"How does it taste?" Brennan asked. Booth, who still had his mouth full, gave a happy thumbs-up sign.

"Wow." He said finally. "This is delicious. You made this all by yourself?" He asked his son.

"Yeah, but it's Bone's recipe."

"This is fantastic Parker, really." Brennan complimented her student. "You did an excellent job."

"Thanks." He said as he ate his own slice. As Brennan and Parker dove into telling the adventures of their shopping trip, Booth glanced around the table, analyzing the two most important people in his life. He couldn't believe how ridiculously happy he felt. He had had one of the best weekends of his life, arguing with Bones over who was going to do the dishes, sleeping next to her in his bed, and now listening to his son talk about going grocery shopping with her. This was what a family was supposed to be, he realized. He had spent his entire life chasing the idea of the perfect family, the one that he had never had, and here it was, sitting at his girlfriend's kitchen table. It wasn't conventional, but this is what he had always longed for. He smiled at a joke that Parker told and took a sip of his beer. He had finally made it home.


	6. The Words in the Bathtub

**IMPORTANT A/N: Change of rating to M. I hadn't planned on it, but knowing me, it's going to have to happen eventually so I want to do it now before I get any more readers. I hope that this little bit of fluffiness takes away from some of the sting I know that you may have felt last night. I personally liked the episode and thought that it was finally getting characters back in character, minus Clark, and a certain missing piece of metal hardware that we usually see. **

**For Mali Bear's Buddy and our mutual desire to see more of Booth in the bathtub!**

OOOOO

Booth wandered into Brennan's apartment exhausted. Filling out the paperwork at the end of their case had been the best part of his week so far and he knew that he hadn't been the most fun to be around the past couple of days.

"Bones?" He called out, not seeing her in the living room or kitchen. "You home?"

"I'm in the bathtub." She called back. The bathroom door was ajar so Booth knocked gently before entering. Sure enough, she was up to her nose in bubbles, the whirlpool tub humming gently. There was half a glass of wine on the small table next to her and candles flickering against the mirror, casting their orange glow into the otherwise dimly lit room.

"Sorry to interrupt." He said, a smile tugging at the edge of his mouth.

"Interrupt what?" She asked. He chuckled and shook his head.

"You just look comfortable." He explained.

"Oh, well I am." She said matter of factly. "Care to join me?" She asked. "I just got in, the water is still hot."

"Sure." He said as he shut the bathroom door behind him and began to undress. He sat across from her in the tub, closed his eyes and sighed as he sank in deeper.

"You're tired." She noticed. "Is everything okay?"

"Long week, Bones." He said, refusing to open his eyes for her. She knew exactly how to help him unwind after his long week.

"Turn around." She requested. He opened his eyes and sat up.

"Why?" He looked at her quizzically.

"Please?" She said. He did as he was told and turned around so that he was sitting in between her legs. She placed her hands on his shoulders and began to massage them. He instantly turned into melted butter underneath her hands.

"Oh my God Bones." He murmured as his head fell forward.

"Does that feel good?" She asked. He mumbled something incoherent and she smiled before continuing her work. "Do you remember the last time I saw you in a bathtub?" She said, kneading his tired muscles with expert precision. Booth groaned, whether it was because of the memory or because she hit a knot, she wasn't sure. "It was the first time I saw you naked." She added with a grin.

"You liked it." He muttered.

"Although I was too angry to realize it at the time, that's most likely true." She said. He smiled at her serious statement. "That was the first time that I knew that I felt something serious for you." She admitted softly. Booth stirred out of his contented fog to process her words.

"What?"

"When you died, I metaphorically died inside as well." She told him. "I realized that what I felt for you was more than what I would feel for a normal colleague or a partner. I didn't know how to move on without you." She said. "I shut down, lost myself in work." She stopped as he reached out and caressed her thigh, wanting to comfort her, but unable to turn around to face her. "And then I stormed into your bathroom, so full of rage that I was literally shaking." She smiled at the memory now. "And I just saw you, with your ridiculous beer-dispensing hat and your comic book. It was just so…Boothy." She said. "And suddenly, I wasn't angry anymore. I was just so relieved to see you alive again that it took all of my pride to not throw my arms around you and hug you, just for being there." She admitted. "Which, in turn, made me even angrier at you for putting me through Hell for no reason." She said.

"I'm sorry for that." He said. "I would take it back in a second if I could."

"I know." She said. "There are a lot of moments that I wish I could take back, but they are in the past now. We are in the present."

"Yes we are." He agreed. "And presently, I want to take you in the bedroom and make love to you all night long." He informed her.

"Well then, I'll finish up." She smirked as she let her hands slide down his arms and slip around his rib cage and sink below the water. Booth muttered a choice expletive as she leaned forward and kissed him behind the ear and down his neck, her breasts rubbing against his back. He gripped the edge of the tub tightly as she worked him up and down.

"Relax Booth." She whispered coolly in his ear.

"Easier said than done right now, Bones." He groaned right back. She chuckled at his honesty.

"I could go back to your shoulders if you'd like." She offered, teasing him by removing her hand briefly.

"Not a chance." He took the moment of clarity to extricate himself from her arms and pull the stopper on the tub.

"What are you doing?" She asked as he stepped out of the tub and pulled her up as well. She shivered as her skin met the cold air. Booth watched as her nipples puckered and he suddenly longed to take one in his mouth.

"It's time that I returned the favor." Booth said. She smiled at his cocky statement, knowing that he could do just that.

OOOOO

"Relaxed now?" She asked.

"Mmhm." He murmured as he found the words to speak again. He turned to face her. "God, you are beautiful." Booth said in awe at her flushed features as they stared at each other horizontally from their respective pillows. She smiled but lowered her eyes under his gaze.

"So you are feeling better?" Brennan quietly changed the subject as she propped herself up on her elbow to examine him. "I know that this past week was hard on you."

"That obvious, huh?" He said, smiling at her concern. She moved so that she could lie on his chest and he wrapped his arms protectively around her.

"I hate when I can see that something is affecting you and I don't know how to fix it." She said. Booth kissed the top of her head.

"You fix it." He said into her hair. "Just knowing that I get to come home and wrap my arms around you is all it takes."

"That's incredibly illogical." She smiled, letting him know that the compliment was received and now she was just teasing him to lighten the mood.

"The truth usually is." He said, knowing it would drive her crazy. "Come on, we've got to at least try and get some sleep. We've got work tomorrow."

"Okay." She acquiesced as Booth turned off the lamp next to the bed. There was silence for a moment but then her words cut through the darkness. "Booth?" Her warm breath tickled his chest as she spoke.

"Hmm?" He asked, not opening his eyes.

"I love you." It was the first time she had ever said those three specific words independently and without replying to his words first. She felt his breathing hitch momentarily before letting out a long exhale.

"I love you too." He said simply, choosing to let the monumental first in their relationship slide by without fanfare. She was incredibly grateful for him in that moment and she placed a small kiss on his chest before settling in again.

OOOOO

Booth groaned as his cell phone rang. Glancing at the clock, he groaned even more when he realized it was just after five in the morning. He flipped it open.

"Yeah." He answered, not bothering with pleasantries. Brennan was paying attention, despite the fact that her eyes refused to open. "Okay, I'm on my way. Yeah, I'll let her know." He said as he hung up and set his phone back on the bedside table.

"You shower, I'll make the coffee." She said as she rolled out of bed and put on her robe.

"I don't have a suit." He realized as he looked in her closet. Somehow he had taken all of them back to his place over the week that he had been staying with her.

"We'll stop by your place on the way." She said. "You really should bring some more of your things over now that we are dating." She said.

"Stop right there, Bones. We are not going down that road right now without sleep or caffeine. Let's just put this conversation on pause and save it for another time, okay?" Booth said.

"Alright." She said. She had forgotten how cantankerous he could be when he woke up in the morning.

OOOOO

As Booth pulled up in front of the Jeffersonian, he couldn't actually believe how well his relationship with Brennan had been going. It was an almost seamless transition from partners to more and thinking back on all of the time that they wasted, he couldn't help but wonder why they had waited so long. Her open admittance of all that she had felt for him last night had touched him in a way that he didn't know words could. Now, she had been dropping suggestions and hints that they should really move in together. It was the practical and logical thing to do. Booth had skillfully avoided each of the conversations, but he wasn't sure how much longer he could keep himself away from her. He wanted it all, and he wanted it all with her.

"Booth, what are you doing here?" Cam asked as the agent strode into the lab.

"Lunch." He said as if it were obvious. That was his real job, make sure Brennan ate lunch. It had been that way three to four times a week for six years.

"Wow. Brave man." She said as she slapped him on the shoulder. "Good luck."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I just assumed with Brennan giving you the cold shoulder, you would keep your distance for a while, but hey, whatever puts her in a better mood is okay by me." She said as she finished signing the clipboard and handed it back to a lab tech.

"She's mad at me? Why? What did I do?" Booth asked.

"Maybe you should be asking yourself that question." Cam said as she walked away. Booth took off towards Brennan's office, racing through a list of things that would make his girlfriend angry enough to do a complete one-eighty in a matter of hours. It was a rather short list and as far as he knew, he wasn't responsible for any of them. He walked into her office and was surprised when she was sitting behind her desk on the phone. He sat down on the couch and waited for her to finish discussing some ancient dig in China. He sat there for a minute before the thought dawned on him. She wasn't planning on running, was she? It was an old move on her part and he had hoped that they had come farther than that. The new Brennan wouldn't just take off to a foreign country just because she was upset. She hung up the phone and Booth looked at her once more.

"What are you doing here?" She asked in a restrained voice that told him he was definitely the source of her anger.

"I stopped by for lunch, but I was informed that you're mad at me." Booth said. "Care to fill me in on what I did?"

"Agent Perotta stopped by looking for you this morning." Her clipped tone told Booth all that he needed to know.

"Bones…" He said with a sigh. "You knew that I was going undercover this weekend."

"Yes, you told me that you were going undercover this weekend." She said. "What you didn't tell me was that you were going with a woman who has been actively trying to sleep with you for the past five years." She said.

"I know how you feel about her but I wasn't exactly given a choice on the matter. She needed a fake husband for a few days to crack her case." He said. "I'm just doing my job." He said, surprised by her reaction.

"Yes, it is your job, which is why you should have no reason to lie to me about it!" She said. "But the worst part is I don't know if you lied to me because we work together or because we sleep together!" Her voice finally raised as her emotion got the better of her. "I was forced to sit there, nodding like I know what she's talking about, but the whole time I'm thinking 'Why didn't Booth tell me this? Does he not trust me? Should I not trust him? What is he hiding? Was he hiding it from his partner? Was he hiding it from his girlfriend?'"

"I didn't realize that there was a difference." He said, offended by her insinuations.

"Of course there is!" She said.

"Okay, so am I fighting with my partner because I'm working a case with someone else or am I fighting with my girlfriend who is irrationally jealous?" The fire in her eyes at his use of the term 'irrationally' let him know that he had hit his target. "You need to pick one fight at a time because I've never been good at multi-tasking." He said.

"Get out." She said, dismissing him.

"No. We are fighting and I'm not going to leave until it is resolved." Booth said, refusing to move. "Why are you worried about her? Do you seriously think that I would cheat on you?" He asked. "I didn't sleep with her when I was single, what makes you think that I would choose to do so now?"

"Because you don't know what you want!" She yelled at him, finally cracking. "You said that you loved me, and then you fell in love with Hannah, and now you're saying that you're back in love with me but you clearly don't trust me enough to move in with me. So instead of talking to me about it, you keep avoiding the subject and run off to play house with yet another gorgeous blonde who speaks her mind and knows how to fire a gun." She said. "That's the Seeley Booth special, isn't it?"

"Hey. Look at me." He demanded as he grabbed her wrists and moved just a little too close to her. She glanced up at him. "I know what I want and it is fifty years or more with you. _You_ are the Seeley Booth special." He said with a small smile. "You are, and always will be, the standard for me." He promised her. "And while I have done some very stupid things in the past, cheating has never been one of them so give me the benefit of the doubt there, huh Bones?" He was using the charm that she couldn't deny and she hated him for it. She wouldn't have minded folding so quickly if he wasn't so aware of what he did to her. Booth could see that she was wavering so he threw in an extra "I love you" just to seal the deal.

"Stop smiling." She said, still angry with him. His cocky victorious smile always drove her mad. "You lied to me and I'm still angry." She said, trying to convince herself more than him at this point.

"I didn't lie. I just didn't reveal all the facts." He defended himself as he wrapped his arms around her.

"I'll remember that the next time that someone says that to you in the interrogation room." She said with a roll of her eyes. "Besides, isn't omission a sin or something?" She asked, remaining stiff in his arms.

"Yes, and I'll say five Hail Marys to atone for it before I go to bed tonight, I promise." He kissed her neck affectionately.

"If you don't want to move in, just say so. If you have to pretend to be in love with a blond, give me some warning first. I don't like you keeping things from me." She murmured. "It makes me feel like you don't trust me enough to handle the truth."

"Bones, of course I trust you. In fact, there's no one I trust more." He sighed. "I'm sorry if I hurt you, that was never my intention." He said sincerely. "I just, I don't want to push. I did that once and it didn't work out for us." He said. "I just want things to evolve naturally." Brennan pulled away from him.

"Evolution takes thousands of years." She informed him. "Besides, don't you think that seven years is long enough for a relationship to evolve? Don't you think we know each other well enough after all that we've been through to actually make this work?" She asked him. Booth smiled at her logic and nodded.

"Of course I do. Look, I want to live with you and I even think that the time is right, but I just assumed that when we did move in together, it would be..." He paused.

"Go ahead." She said, giving him permission to speak the truth.

"I want it to be the last time that I move." He said. Brennan's heart stopped as she took that information in. "I want us to find a place that's ours, you know? A big house somewhere, where you and I can grow old together." He suggested.

"And Parker." Brennan reminded him.

"Yes, and Parker." He said with a smile. "And any other kids, pets, whatever, we should feel the need to accumulate in the future."

"If we're getting a house than we're getting a dog." She told him.

"Then we're going to need a big backyard." He said, wanting her to have whatever she wanted.

"With a pool." She said as she started to make a mental list. "And a place for you to watch sports with that large flat screen television you are always pestering me to buy." Booth smiled widely as he pulled her in for a kiss.

"So I didn't scare you?" He asked.

"Booth, once I make up my mind, very little can change it. You know that." He smiled and nodded. "You're just going to have to get used to the fact that I've made up my mind about you." She informed him with a gentle poke to his shoulder.

"You have?" He said, knowing the answer, but just wanting to hear her say it again.

"Don't you remember how this relationship started?" She asked. "I told you that you were the person who convinced me that growing old with someone, loving someone, was worth the risk. You won the argument." She said with a smile. "Now you have to live with the consequences."

"I love you." He said, the smile on his face actually causing him pain.

"I love you too." She said with a kiss. "Come on, we can make a more suitable list of desires for our new house over lunch."


	7. The Dream in the House

Once the decision was made to move in together, Booth and Brennan began spending their weekend free time looking at houses. The list of demands that Brennan had made was quite extensive and judging by the houses that they had seen, they were going to be house-searching for quite some time. Not to mention the fact that Booth was becoming more and more aware that they would be ending up in a house that was more akin to a mansion than an apartment above a liquor store.

"Booth, can I talk to you for a second?" Hodgins asked one day as he stuck his head out of his office, glanced around furtively and then retreated again.

"Sure." Booth said, concerned for his friend's well-being. He knew that Hodgins was naturally paranoid, but to be paranoid in his own office was a whole new level of psychosis.

"Listen, I don't want to be that person who gets involved in everyone's personal life, but I did marry Angela, so I'm going to end up getting some information that I normally would never care to hear."

"Oh God." Booth said, knowing he wasn't going to like what came next. "Let's hear it." He said, preparing himself for the worst.

"There's a house just down the block from ours that apparently matches all of the qualifiers on Dr. Brennan's list. Now, Angela has it in her head that you guys are going to love it, move in and we're all going to spend our summers raising kids and barbequing for block parties." Hodgins warned. "Plus, she's pregnant and nesting." Booth rolled his eyes. "Despite my best attempts to do so, I can't convince her that it's not our place to pick out your future house for you." Hodgins summed up.

"And you're warning me." Booth said, recognizing the gesture.

"I know that it sounds crazy, but she's got her heels dug in on this one, so will you please just look at the house and if you don't want it, come up with some reason that won't offend my very pregnant wife?" He requested. Booth chuckled.

"I can do that." He said. "I'll talk to Bones about it later, okay?" He said.

"I owe you one, man. Really." Hodgins said as he watched Booth leave his office.

OOOOO

"Booth, can I ask you a question?" Brennan asked Booth later in the SUV.

"Of course." Booth said.

"Before I ask, I have to preface the question with the reminder that I'm not good with relationships, particularly when it comes to things that I know that we disagree on. We haven't really had a serious fight yet and I don't know how to discuss this without being honest about my feelings, but I don't want to offend you either so…"

"Bones! Just spit it out." Booth said, suddenly getting very nervous about where this was headed.

"We haven't talked about how we are going to finance a house, should we find one." She stated.

"We're going to talk money? Now?" He asked, hoping that would be enough to table the discussion. "Weren't you the one who wanted to compartmentalize work and home in separate boxes?"

"Normally yes, but I'm hoping that because we are in a work environment, it will speed the discussion up. It was either this or tempt you with sex, but then my head gets all fuzzy and I can't really do my best thinking when you're touching me." She said bluntly. Booth couldn't fight the smile that tugged at his lips.

"So you're trying to play me." He realized, slightly proud of how far she had come in just a few short months. "You have such a steep learning curve." He grinned, clearly impressed.

"Are you trying to change the subject?" She asked.

"Yes." He said honestly. "Look, Bones, I will admit that the question has crossed my mind, but I figured that we would cross that bridge when we came to it." He said.

"That brings me to the next part of the discussion." She said. "Angela thinks that she found us the perfect house." She said. "And I must agree, from what I have seen online, it does look quite acceptable."

"But it's down the street from her and Hodgins." Booth said. "Yeah, Hodgins warned me about it."

"What you mean, warned you?" Brennan asked.

"Nothing, he just said that Angela was hormonal and nesting and that she may be taking this whole housing thing a little too personally. He just wanted to reassure me that it was our decision and that Angela meant well."

"If we didn't like the house, he wanted us to let her down gently so she wouldn't be emotionally distraught." She understood. "That was very kind of him." She recognized, happy that her friend had married such a caring person. "You know, I'm glad that they found each other. Angela often tells me that despite her original fears of marriage, she is quite happy with the situation." Brennan was simply relaying facts but she didn't realize that she had just pushed all the air out of Booth's lungs with one simple comment. He glanced over at his girlfriend, trying to see if she was dropping any hints, but of course, she was quite oblivious to the effect her words had on him, as always.

"Well then it's a good thing Hodgins kept proposing then, isn't it?" He said simply, not wanting to say anything that might be misconstrued.

"Yes, I suppose it is." She said with a chuckle, remembering how nervous he had been for those few weeks when their relationship had been in flux. "So will you come examine the house?" She asked.

"Yes, I will come see the house." He said. "And if we don't like it, you will have to explain to Angela why our future kids won't be sharing a tree house or whatever she imagines in that brain of hers."

"Deal." She said.

OOOOO

As they pulled up to the house, Booth already was feeling a twinge in his gut. He had been in this neighborhood before when they had visited their friends, but now the concept of living here, being one of those ridiculously wealthy people who could live inside this community, made him extremely uncomfortable. Then again, he wasn't ridiculously wealthy. He made enough to feed himself and put some money in Parker's college fund. But while he had promised Brennan he would look at the house, he had never promised to like it. The real estate agent met them on the front step and unlocked the door. Brennan got to work examining the house. Booth followed behind as she entered the formal living room.

"I've never understood the concept of a formal living room. Either it's a living room, or it's formal. Do you feel the need to have one?" She asked Booth.

"There's nothing formal about my lifestyle, Bones." He said with a small smile.

"Good, then we can turn this into a regular living room." She decided as she headed towards the open kitchen and dining room. Booth followed her from room to room and listened to her ideas of what it could be. Soon enough, he saw the picture that she was painting and he began to add details himself.

"Hodgins said that we had to be sure it had space for what he called a "man-cave"?" Brennan said.

"The basement." Booth said. "You know, a place to set up an entertainment center and a sports bar. A guy's room." He explained as they walked down the steps. He whistled as he took in the large flat screen on the wall.

"Does that mean you approve?" Brennan said with a knowing smile.

"It's a thing of beauty, that's for sure." He said. He turned around to face her. The expectant look on her face was priceless. He smiled. "You really want this house, don't you?" He said, already knowing the answer was yes. She nodded sheepishly, but didn't say anything. "And you have the money to just buy it right now without a single trip to the bank." He said, also knowing it was true. She didn't answer his question this time, but he could tell that she was holding her breath.

"Booth, can I be honest with you?" She asked.

"Always." He said seriously.

"I know that you want to contribute financially when we buy a house, but if I had it my way, you would take the money from selling your apartment, put it in Parker's college fund and just let me have this one." Booth stared at her like she was crazy. She walked over to him and put her arms around his neck. "You have given me so much. The books that I've written, the purpose of my job, all of the joy and love in my life, it all comes from what I've learned from you." She said. "And without you, I wouldn't have had any of it."

"That's not true." Booth shook his head.

"Yes. It is." She said, staring him in the eye with a certainty that made him uncomfortable. "I want to give something back to you in return. I want to show my appreciation. I don't know if I will be able to commit to you in the way that you always wanted, in marriage, but I want to show you that this relationship means something to me. I want to commit to this for the rest of my life, and this is my way of doing that. Please, just let this be my way of repaying you for all that you've done for me. Please?" Booth's heart was beating out of his chest as he fully absorbed her words. She had basically just proposed to him, in her own squinty way. He could see how important this was to her and like always, he found himself powerless to resist her.

"It really means that much to you?" He asked, making sure. She nodded violently. "Okay." He said, brushing his ego aside. It was going to be hard for him, but he was willing to go through some pain if it meant that he could spend every day of forever with the woman standing in front of him.

"Really?" She said as she threw her arms around him tighter. He smiled at her happiness and nodded. He would do anything to see that smile. She kissed him passionately. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." He watched as she practically bounded up the stairs to tell the agent that they would like to make an offer. He glanced around. This was going to be his, no, _their_ new home. They were going to live here, together, for what he hoped would be the rest of their lives. As he made his way back through the home to the front entryway where Brennan was still talking to the real estate agent, he knew that it felt right. He could see the dog in the backyard that he knew she so desperately wanted and he could see teaching Parker to drive in the quiet neighborhood streets. He saw Hodgins and Angela and their children coming over for barbeques and he saw snuggling up with the love of his life on the patio, the fire pit blazing on chilly fall evenings. To think, he had almost given up on ever having any of it. He shook his head at himself. The smartest thing he ever did was listen to his son that night in the truck when he asked if he really loved Hannah more than Bones. He felt an itch in his fingertips as that familiar feeling of wanting it all suddenly came into his heart. _Don't be greedy, Seeley_, he reminded himself. _She just told you that she wasn't sure if she would ever want to get married. _But as she flashed a smile at him for his reappearance in the hallway, he wasn't sure if he could ever stop wanting that complete package, the whole commitment, with her.


	8. The Potential of the Future

**A/N: I owe everyone a serious apology regarding this story. Today is the 5 month anniversary of the last time I updated this. I don't even know why! I've been writing tons of other stuff in the meantime and this sort of fell between the cracks I guess. I do know that there are only a few more chapters left, so I'm going to work really hard on finishing it up. In the meantime, you might want to go back and skim so you remember what this story is actually about. Again, my apologies!**

**OOOOO**

Within the next month, Booth and Brennan had sold their respective apartments and moved all of their things into the new house. The holidays were just around the corner and Booth had visions of Thanksgiving and Christmas surrounded by loved ones in their new shared space. He had a task ahead of him though and that was convincing Brennan that they should celebrate the holidays at all. He had heard many speeches over their time together regarding the political and ethical issues with celebrating Thanksgiving and Christmas was still so hard on her. He decided to take it one step at a time.

"Hey Bones?"

"Hmm?" She asked, barely looking up from her journal.

"I have Parker for Thanksgiving and I was thinking it would be nice to have him and Pops over for a family meal so he could see the new house. We could invite your dad, maybe make it double as a house warming party?" There was a long pause as she considered his words.

"I suppose that would work." She said. Booth tried to glean some sense of how she felt about the suggestion but she was completely blank.

"It would?" She sensed his confusion and she clarified.

"What do you want me to say Booth? I don't commemorate Thanksgiving but I know that you do. I would be willing to concede that it is important to you and to your family to celebrate."

"You are my family." He said with a nudge of his hand. "I just think it would be a nice way to get everyone together, Thanksgiving or not. We have that big dining room now; we might as well fill it with people." He was using logic on her and she knew how important this was to him.

"Thanksgiving is fine, Booth." She said. "I will start researching a turkey recipe tomorrow." She said as she went back to her journal.

"Bones?" She sighed at being interrupted yet again.

"Yes?"

"I love you."

"I know you do. But if you don't let me finish reading this article, you're going to be trying out the new spare bedrooms." He mimed zipping his lips, turned over and settled in for the night. Brennan allowed herself a single glance at his back and a smile before going to back to her article.

OOOOO

Within the week, their small Thanksgiving gathering had somehow amassed to include the Hodgins family:

"They are like family, Bones. Besides, you will have more fun if Angela is there anyway."

Cam and Michelle:

"If we were inviting everyone else at the lab, we might as well include Cam."

And now, Sweets:

"What was I supposed to say, Booth? He's all alone. There's no reason for him to spend the holiday alone when you are so dead set on having a feast."

As Brennan finished cooking the last of the dishes, Booth had volunteered Parker to help set the table.

"How many places?" Parker asked as he reached for the silver.

"Ten." She said as she basted the turkey.

"Whoa, that's a lot of people." He said, impressed.

"Yes." Brennan said. "We have quite the network of friends and family." She said as she handed him a stack of freshly pressed napkins. As Parker was headed out, Booth walked in and stole a green bean from the warming dish. He promptly received a smack on the hand and he grinned mischievously.

"Anything I can help with?"

"You can help Parker set the table." She said. "Frankly, I don't trust you in my kitchen." She told him honestly.

"I see how it is." He grinned and kissed her but left her alone. The doorbell rang and Brennan glanced around, wondering if Booth would answer it.

"Booth, would you answer that?" She asked.

"I got it." He yelled as he made his way to the foyer. He swung the door open with a smile.

"Pops! Good to see ya." Booth hugged the old man with a smile.

"You too, kid. Nice place, you weren't kidding about the size." He said as he glanced around. Booth shook his head.

"Come on in, Parker's just finishing setting the table and Bones is in the kitchen, not that she'll let anyone within three feet of the door." He whispered playfully.

"I heard that." She said as she emerged from the kitchen with a smile. "Hi Hank."

"Hi Beautiful. Quite the set-up you got here." He said as he gave her a hug.

"Yes, well, we like it so far." She smiled. "Can I get you something to drink?"

"No, I'm fine. Thanks."

"Booth, you're on door duty while Parker and I finish getting ready." She informed him.

"Yes ma'am." Booth said with a smile and a salute. She rolled her eyes but smiled as she went back into the kitchen.

"So tell me, how does it feel?" Hank asked.

"How does what feel?"

"Your new life, being domesticated." Hank teased.

"It has its perks." Booth said.

"And Temperance? It looks like everything is working out." It was more of a question than a statement. Booth considered it.

"I'm happy, Pops. We still have to keep from killing each other from time to time, but it keeps things interesting." He grinned.

"The good ones always are worth the trouble." He nodded.

"Hey Pops." Parker said as he walked into the living room.

"Hey Parker! What's shaking?" Parker laughed and sat down next to his dad on the couch.

"Is everything ready?" Booth asked his son.

"Yep, Bones said we're just waiting until everyone gets here. She went upstairs to get dressed." As if on cue, the doorbell rang.

"Good, why don't you tell Pops here about your hockey game?" He said as he went to answer the door. Hodgins, Angela, Sweets, Cam and Michelle were all making their way towards the house as Booth went to greet them.

"Hey guys. Welcome, come on in." Booth said as he took their coats.

"Wow." Cam said as she glanced around. "This place looks amazing. You sure you just moved in two weeks ago?" She asked.

"We had a lot of help." He promised. "That and we only finished the public rooms." He smiled. "You guys this is my grandfather, Hank. Pops, this is Jack Hodgins and his wife Angela, Cam and her daughter Michelle. And of course, Sweets."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Booth." Michelle smiled.

"Oh please, call me Hank." The doorbell rang one last time and Booth went to answer it. He met Brennan coming down the stairs and he stopped to admire her.

"Wow, look at you." He smiled. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you." She smiled appreciatively. Booth returned to his task of opening the door.

"Max." Booth said as he ushered him inside. "Happy Thanksgiving."

"Hi Dad." Brennan said as she greeted him.

"Tempe, you look as beautiful as ever." He said as he gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you." She accepted the compliment gracefully.

"Come on back. Everyone is in the living room. We were just about to sit down." Booth said.

OOOOO

As the family gathered around the table, there were stories, laughter and great food. As Brennan looked around, she couldn't help but smile as she caught Booth's stare. His eyes were gleaming, bright and happy from the afternoon's events. After dinner, Michelle and Parker went to his room to challenge each other to a game of Wii, the men all retreated to the Man cave to catch the football game and Cam and Angela gathered in the living room to chat with Brennan.

"So, your first big Thanksgiving meal was a success!" Angela said proudly of her best friend.

"Yes." Brennan smiled. "It was."

"Were you worried?" Cam asked.

"I had never commemorated Thanksgiving before. This was all Booth's idea."

"Well I think you did an excellent job hosting." Cam said with a kind smile. "How is everything going now that you're with the Big Man full time?"

"It seems to be going well."

"Are you happy?" Angela asked.

"Most days." She said and Cam laughed. "To be honest, despite all that we disagree on, it's working out quite well. We're both trying to compromise when we feel we can, but there are always moments where one of us just has to give in." She said.

"Like what?"

"Religion." She offered. "Booth still goes to Mass every Sunday with Parker. I can't do that, even for him."

"He has to understand that." Cam said.

"I think he does. I do worry about how our living together affects his beliefs sometimes."

"Booth has lived with women before. It never bothered him." Cam assured her.

"I know, but there are these moments where we're talking about the future and I can see how much marriage means to him. I feel... selfish for not considering it."

"Well, maybe your opinion will change someday." Angela said. "If someone had told me a few years ago that I would be married with a kid on the way, I would have never believed them." She smiled. "I mean, how many times did Hodgins propose before I said yes?"

"Many." Cam chuckled.

"But now you like being married." Brennan asked more than stated. Angela smiled.

"Yeah, because I know that I get to spend every day with a man that I love for the rest of our lives. It's not the ring or the certificate that make that important, it's the promise we made to each other." Angela felt her eyes welling up and she cursed her hormones. "Sorry." She said as she wiped her eyes. "This kid is very sentimental. I burst into tears the other day watching a Hallmark commercial."

"It's quite common for hormonal changes to make you more sentimental. It's anthropologically significant in order to assure you keep and care for your child." Brennan informed her.

"I will remember that when you are irrationally emotional for no reason." Angela said. Cam turned to Brennan in surprise.

"Are you pregnant?"

"No." Brennan said. "I'm not."

"Do you want to be?" Cam asked. "I mean, there are a lot of rooms in this house." She said, looking around.

"I don't know. Booth and I haven't discussed it."

"Please, Booth and babies go hand in hand." Cam said. "He loves being a father."

"He is excellent at it." Brennan said.

"Oh, you and I could be moms together! We could have play dates and take our kids to the park!"

"Angela..." Brennan warned.

"Just think about it, Bren. It could be wonderful." Angela smiled. "A little baby Booth. We already know that it would be gorgeous, smart, tough. You guys are like a genetic dream team."

"She has a point there." Cam said. Brennan looked at Cam, surprised by her statement. "Hey, while I may not be willing to go through all of that myself, I'm fully willing to spoil any and all children that you both have so long as I can hand them back to you when they start screaming." Angela smiled, glad to have the support.

"Maybe someday." Brennan said as they changed the subject. However, her mind lingered on their question. She didn't feel ready, but there was no harm in getting Booth's opinion on the matter.

OOOOO

After everyone had left and Parker was in bed, Booth finally collapsed on the couch next to his partner and groaned.

"I told you not to have that last piece of pie." She said, knowing the source of his discomfort.

"But it was so good." He defended his actions. He fell silent for a beat longer and then changed the topic of conversation. "Did you have fun today?"

"Yes, I think it was a successful evening."

"What did you girls do during the football game?" He asked. Brennan fell silent, which immediately peaked Booth's interest.

"We talked about life."

"Life?"

"Yes, our lives have all changed considerably in the past five years. Angela is married and pregnant. Cam is the mother of a teenager. You and I have purchased a house together. We've all come a very long way from where we were."

"We all have." He said as he thought about just how much is life had changed in the last five years.

"We wondered where we would be in the next five years." She paused. "What do you see in five years?" She asked him. Booth turned to look at her.

"You." He said simply. She smiled.

"Do you see more children?" She asked hesitantly. Booth's heart raced at the thought. A little girl, who looked just like her, flashed in his mind. When they had bought the house, children had been assumed for someday. Now that they were living there, the subject was suddenly present tense.

"I would love to have children with you." He said honestly. "It's a big step though. Your whole life changes forever. Do you want to have kids?" She considered his statement.

"Someday, when we feel ready, I would like that very much." She said. "I think that we have a lot to discuss before then."

"Like what?" He asked, wanting to open up this line of conversation.

"If we decide to start a family together, I think that it would be important to include Parker."

"How do you mean?"

"If that day comes when we are ready to start a family, I would like you and Rebecca to consider letting me legally adopt Parker. I think that it would show him that he is a part of this family, even if he isn't able to be here as much as you both would like."

"Bones..." Booth's heart melted at the request.

"He has made it clear on several occasions that he would not be opposed to the idea."

"Of course not, he adores you."

"The feeling is mutual." She smiled. "Would that be something you would be willing to consider?" She asked.

"Absolutely." He said. "As far as I'm concerned, you've practically helped raise him anyway."

"And who knows, maybe in time I would be willing to reconsider marriage as an option and that would take care of it." Booth knew what she was doing. She was giving him a window, a beautiful, hope-filled window. "I just, I don't want it to seem like we're moving on without him."

"Parker knows that would never happen." Booth said confidently.

"I don't know. I've always known that it was hard on you, seeing so little of him, but I'm just starting to realize how hard it is on him as well. We've thrust a lot of change on him lately." She paused as she considered something. "I look at him, especially the two of you together and I can't believe I ever thought it would be okay to raise a child on my own. A child deserves a real family, Booth, the kind that we never really had. I want to make sure that we give our child that." His heart was overflowing at her statement. He couldn't help but be impressed by her openness. It was a side of her personality that so very rarely showed. He knew that her heart was big, but it still took his breath away sometimes.

"Where is all this coming from?" He asked.

"I don't know. You were just so happy today. I realized that when you look at our future, you see many days like today, don't you?"

"Yeah, I do." He confessed. She nodded, as if her suspicions were confirmed.

"I think I'm beginning to understand why you want the things that you want. I see how much joy they bring you. I like seeing you that happy."

"The reason I'm so happy is because I have all of these things with you, Bones. As long as I have you and Parker, nothing else matters."

"Even still, I want you to know that I'm trying."

"Believe me, I know." He said. "And I am in awe of it and you." He said as he touched her cheek. "You never cease to amaze me, Bones." Brennan saw something in his gaze that she sought to define and when she came to her conclusion, it gave her the chills. He was dazzled by her. She could see it in his eyes and it made her want to be the woman that he saw even more than she did already.

"Booth..." She whispered playfully as their lips hovered inches away from one another.

"Hmm?"

"Take me upstairs?" She requested. He smiled.

"My pleasure." He said as he finally kissed her, sending both of their hearts into overdrive.


	9. The Gifts in Their Lives

A/N: Last chapter! There will be an epilogue, which is partially written. Would you be surprised if I told you it was the first thing I wrote after the first chapter? I actually planned a fic! That's how you know this was my first published Bones story! I was clearly nervous. Anyway, this one is drastically fluffy so brush your teeth directly after reading or you'll get a cavity. Enjoy!

Booth locked the front door as quietly as he could manage. It was Christmas Eve and he was tiptoeing back from Midnight Mass like he was breaking curfew. He paused in the living room to take in the scene. Everything was ready for Parker's arrival in a few hours. There were a few inches of snow on the ground and the moon was shining bright. The tree was full of white lights and gorgeous silver ornaments because once again, Brennan had convinced him that anything worth doing was worth doing well, even if she didn't share his beliefs. He had his perfect house, with his perfect partner, and it was his favorite day of the year. But something wasn't right.

As he glanced around the living room and out the window again, he knew what was causing his unease, he just didn't know how to fix it. Brennan had been silent for days. It seemed like the closer they got to the holiday, the more she retreated into herself. He had always known, from their very first Christmas spent together, that this was the hardest time of the year for her, but seeing it up close, all day, every day, was another thing entirely. He saw the way that she nervously fingered the dolphin ring on her hand. He heard the murmurs that came at night when only he could hear her. His heart ached for her and he wanted to make it better, but he knew that anything he said would fall short. She needed some space right now and he felt comfortable enough with their relationship to know that she would come to him if and when she wanted to talk about it. He just wished that she felt she could trust him with whatever was going on.

As he climbed the stairs, he hoped that his footsteps wouldn't wake her up, but he was surprised to find that the lamp was still on for him. She, however, was out cold. He smiled as he pulled her book away from her and set it on the night stand. He pulled the comforter up around her shoulders and kissed her goodnight. He undressed quietly and snuck into bed but as soon as he settled in, her arms snaked around him. He smiled at the welcome surprise.

"I thought you were sleeping." He murmured.

"I was." She assured him without opening her eyes. "How was Mass?"

"It was good. Christmas-y." He offered and she smiled at the made up adjective. "It's beautiful outside. There's snow everywhere. I nearly walked home."

"You sound happy." She noticed through her sleepy fog.

"I am." He smiled.

"Good. Merry Christmas Booth." She said quietly.

"Merry Christmas Bones." He replied. She could feel that there was something else he wanted to say and his hesitance was enough to wake her up.

"What's wrong?" She asked as she opened her eyes to take in his features. Sure enough, there was worry etched in the lines of his face.

"Look, I know that this isn't the easiest time of the year for you, and I've been trying to give you space but I just want you to know that if there's anything that I can do to make you feel better…" She sat up at his words and stared at him. She should have known that he would have realized something was off with her but it never dawned on her that he would think it was about her past. She shook off the rest of her sleep as she processed what he was saying.

"Booth, you really don't have to worry about that. I promise you that's not what has been bothering me." She reassured him as she reached out for his hand.

"Then what has?" He asked. "Because something hasn't been right lately, Bones."

"You're right." She nodded. "Do you remember our first Christmas together?" His look of confusion was short-lived before he answered her question.

"Parts of it." He muttered, recalling the side effects of his anti-viral medication. She smiled despite herself at the memory of him traipsing around the lab, higher than a kite.

"I felt so…. trapped in that lab. I couldn't run away from my issues with Christmas like I always had in the past. I was going stir crazy." She paused. "I had to talk to someone about it."

"So you told Angela what happened. I know. I overheard it." He remembered. "You don't have to explain it to me, Bones. I get it."

"I know you do. And yes, I was quite upset at the time but Booth, I've got answers now. I've moved on. I think about the difference between what I felt that day and how I feel now and everything has changed. You changed it." She informed him. "You changed me." She added with a small smile.

"I did?" He questioned.

"I know that I've told you this before but it's true. Everything good that I have in my life can be traced back to you. You're my catalyst." Booth was fairly certain he felt his heart stop at her sweet words. "Do you know what I remember most about that Christmas together?" She asked before he could respond to her statement.

"What?" He asked, really wanting to know.

"It was the first time that I found out you were a father." She said. Booth watched her intently. "Up until that point I had only seen the cocky FBI agent side of you but this was an entirely different aspect of who you were. I saw you with Parker and I remember thinking how natural you looked, that fatherhood suited you." He smiled. "There was this moment when you first saw him, and it still happens now, where your whole face just lights up." She smiled. "I don't know. Maybe it was because I was missing my own parents so much, but something about that first moment just stayed with me. I realized how lucky Parker was to have you." She confessed. Booth didn't know what to say so he kept quiet, not wanting to disrupt the obvious moment they were having. "Booth, you believe in fate, right?" He smiled at the ridiculous question.

"Of course I do." Suddenly she looked nervous and Booth sat up a little straighter. "Why?"

"I was going to do this tomorrow but it feels like now would be a better time." She said as she reached into her bedside table and pulled out a box. "Our first Christmas together as partners, I discovered that you were a father. And now on our first Christmas living together, I've discovered that I am going to be a mother." She said as she handed him a pregnancy test. He wasn't sure he had heard her correctly. "I'm pregnant." She said. Booth's heart went from nearly still to beating wildly as he looked up at her again. There was a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth and under normal circumstances, he would have kissed her out of sheer adorableness. At the moment, however, he was too busy having an out of body experience.

"You're pregnant?" He asked, unable to believe what was happening.

"Yes." She smiled fully this time. "We're having a baby."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes." She laughed. He kissed her with all his might before pulling away.

"Wait, when did you find this out?"

"I waited until you left for church to take the test. I wanted to surprise you."

"It worked." He said. "Oh my God, a baby." He said, the awe in his voice unparalleled to anything she had ever heard. She suddenly found herself tearing up as he looked at her with that dopey grin on his face.

"You're happy?"

"Are you kidding? I'm over the moon." He said honestly. "This is the best Christmas I've ever had." A stray tear escaped from the corner of her eye and he caught it with his thumb. "What about you?" He asked, realizing these might not be tears of joy. "Are you happy?"

"Yes." She beamed. "It's well, it's unexpected but even so…"

"It's a baby." He said, the grin on his face only growing. "You and I are having a baby." He tried it out on his tongue. "A little girl." He decided for them.

"You don't know that." She protested his statement, cutting him off before he got out of hand.

"This is why you've been so quiet?"

"I've been nauseous for days." She admitted quietly. "All of the Christmas parties and the smells…"

"Why didn't you say anything?" He said.

"Because I had my suspicions and I wasn't vomiting so I thought I could keep it a secret. Then you came home tonight and I realized I wasn't hiding it very well."

"Bones, you don't have to hide anything from me."

"I know." She said. "I just didn't want to tell you until I knew for sure. But now I do." She said as she caught his watchful gaze. He admired her for a while and she suddenly felt self-conscious.

"Come here." He said definitively, as if he had made up his mind about something. He reached for her waist and pulled her close to him. He kissed her gently and Brennan couldn't help but feel the love in the gesture. When the kiss had ended, he brushed a strand of hair behind her ear as his hand caressed her cheek. "I love you." He informed her.

"I love you too." She replied as her forehead met his. "We should sleep. Parker's going to be here in a few hours."

"I was exhausted when I got home and now the thought of going to sleep is insane." He informed her. "I just want to get up and run a marathon or something."

"It's adrenaline. It will go away, you'll crash."

"Not on Christmas. Not today. I feel like I could do anything." She rolled her eyes and laid down anyway, hoping to be a good influence on him.

"Then I'll sleep and you can stare at me. I know how much you like that." She said seriously as she got settled in.

"I really do." He chuckled at her matter of fact airs. "Good night, Bones." He said as he kissed her forehead. "Good night, baby." He added as he ran his hand over her stomach.

"Booth, it's barely more than a cluster of cells right now. It certainly doesn't have functioning ears."

"Shh." He said, ignoring her entirely. "I thought you were going to bed?" She smiled and closed her eyes.

"Good night, Booth."

"Night, Bones."

OOOOO

When Booth woke up the next morning, it was to the smell of pancakes. He opened his eyes and groaned as he stretched his arms. Then he remembered it was Christmas morning and that his girlfriend was pregnant with his child and he nearly leapt out of bed. He made his way down the stairs and into the kitchen and was surprised to find it empty. There was a stack of pancakes sitting on the table waiting for him, but Brennan was nowhere to be found.

"Bones?" He called out, wondering where she was. He heard the water running from the hall bathroom. He made his way down the hall and pressed his ear against the door. At the sound of wretching, he opened it. She was sitting on the floor, her face pressed against the cool porcelain of the sink.

"Bones…" He said in sympathy.

"I'm fine, Booth." She repeated. "Go eat your pan…" she paused and closed her eyes "pancakes." She finished bravely. "It will pass."

"Is there anything I can do? Do you want some soda or something?"

"No." She said, clearly annoyed by the question. He knew she wanted to be alone so he nodded and walked out of the bathroom. He downed his pancakes quickly, and immediately did the dishes, hoping to help get rid of the smell. Within a few minutes, Brennan arrived back in the kitchen.

"Hey, feeling better?" He asked as he put down the dish towel.

"I will be." She said. "You should get dressed. Rebecca's dropping off Parker in twenty minutes." He nodded, knowing she was right. He ran upstairs and took a fast shower before heading back down to take one last look at the tree. He turned on the lights and reorganized the presents.

"It looks great, Booth. Relax." Brennan said as she walked into the living room. The doorbell rang and Booth hurried to answer it. He opened up the door and smiled at the sight of his son. Brennan's words from the night before echoed in the back of his brain, making him even more aware of his big smile.

"Hey! Merry Christmas!" Booth said as he ushered his son inside.

"Merry Christmas!" Parker said cheerfully before his eye caught the tree in the background. "Whoa!" He cried as he ran past his father to get a better look.

"Wait for your father!" Rebecca yelled after him as she shook her head. "Merry Christmas Seeley."

"Merry Christmas Rebecca." He smiled. "Are you excited for Vermont?"

"It's always nice to go home." She smiled. "Call if you need anything?"

"Of course."

"Goodbye Parker!" Rebecca yelled into the house.

"Bye!" Parker called back and Rebecca rolled her eyes.

"Come on, you can't expect to compete with Christmas morning." Booth said with a sly grin.

"He gets more and more like you every day." She said as she poked his shoulder. "I'll see you later."

"Bye." Booth watched as she made her way down the steps and waved one last time as she got into her car.

"Dad, hurry up!"

"I'm coming!" Booth broke into a jog as he made his way back into the living room. Parker had already sorted out the presents into piles by receiver and had taken his own gifts out of his bag and placed them on top of Booth and Brennan's piles.

"He is quite efficient." Brennan commented behind her mug of tea. Booth smiled at her observation. He could tell she was taking notes in her head. This was her first real Christmas with a child in the house and she was absolutely in anthropologist mode.

"What do you think? One present at a time or one person at a time?" Booth asked Brennan.

"Let him open them first." She said, wanting to take the poor child out of his misery.

"Yes!" Parker pumped his fist at her suggestion.

"Are you ready?" Booth asked, turning his attention back to his son.

"Yep!" Parker said, waiting for his father's okay.

"Whoops, I forgot the camera." He said as Parker groaned.

"Booth, it's in your lap." Brennan scolded as Booth laughed.

"Just kidding. Go ahead. I'm ready." He told his son as he picked the top present off the pile and unwrapped it quickly. Brennan watched in amusement as every gift brought joy to the child's face. He received a football jersey that replicated his favorite player from Hank, video games and accessories from his father, a microscope from Brennan, and more books on bugs from the Hodgins family. When Parker was done, Booth turned to Brennan.

"Ladies first." Booth said gallantly as he pointed to her pile of gifts. She smiled as she reached over and grabbed a present off the top. It was a small but long box and she was almost certain that it was jewelry. She read the tag and saw that it was from Hank. She glanced over at Booth, who couldn't contain his smile.

"From Hank? What is it?" She wondered as she slid a finger carefully under the seam of the wrapping paper.

"I'm not going to tell you." Booth said.

"I know that. The question was rhetorical." She replied as she lifted the lid off the box. Inside was a gorgeous looking pearl necklace. Brennan glanced up at Booth in surprise at the gift.

"What is it?" Parker asked., unable to see the gift.

"It's a necklace that used to belong to my grandmother. A family heirloom." Booth explained to them simultaneously. "Hank wanted you to have it."

"Booth, this is..." She was overwhelmed by the generosity. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." Booth smiled as he reached over and took the box from her. He removed the necklace and tried it on her. "Beautiful." Booth smiled. "What do you think, Parks?"

"Totally." He agreed. Brennan ran her finger tips over the necklace. "Bones, open mine next." Parker said as he pointed to his present. Brennan was thankful for the instruction because it gave her an excuse to shift her attention from the staggering gift around her neck. She lifted up her hair and Booth removed the necklace for her and she placed it carefully back in the box. She opened Parker's gift just as carefully as the first. She couldn't help but chuckle at what he had found.

"The Beginner's Guide to Football." She grinned as she showed Booth. "Thank you! I shall find this quite useful." She said, genuinely moved by the gift.

"I know you said you needed a textbook, but this is the closest that Mom and I could find." He said.

"I will start reading it immediately." She promised as she set it beside her. There was one more gift next to her and that was from Booth. She opened the box quickly, excited to see what he could have possibly given her. She paused as she came into contact with a black leather binder. She pulled it out of the box and examined it. It was a scrapbook. Brennan opened it up to the first page and smiled. It was a newspaper article that read "An Agent and A Scientist, An Unlikely Match, Solve Double Murder". She knew it well. It had been her favorite article because the picture was taken of the duo at the coffee cart, a symbolic representation of their time together, of a time when the center held. She fought the tears that sprang to her eyes and she glanced over at Booth, knowing that he had been the one to put this together.

She turned the page and found a photo of them in their formal wear at a fundraiser gala, dancing close. She wondered who had taken the picture. There were pictures from their jobs, newspaper clippings, magazine articles, but then there were just pictures of them. A birthday party at the Hodgins' place, the team sitting around a table at the Founding Fathers, a secretly taken photo of the two of them through the diner window, leaning forward as they argued about something, their own personal space clearly not an issue.

She got to the end of the album and stopped breathing. The last photo was of herself, Booth and Parker as they walked out of the lab one day. Booth's hand was in its ever familiar spot on the small of her back, escorting her out as he always did and Parker was reaching up, tightly holding his free hand. It had been taken years ago, Parker was probably only five at the time, but the image of the three of them walking away together made them look like a real family. The note on the last page was scrawled in his familiar messy handwriting.

_Bones, _

_This is only the beginning. I look forward to filling many more scrapbooks with you. _

_Love Always, _

_Booth_

"Dad, you made her cry." Parker whispered loudly, surprised by the new sight. Brennan wiped the tears away from her face and threw her arms around him.

"I think that's a good thing, Bud." He said as he hugged his girlfriend tightly.

"I love you." She whispered in his ear.

"Love you too." He smiled. She pulled away and watched with Parker as Booth opened his gifts, but her mind was still on her own. She had spent the last twenty years running away from Christmas because she had nothing but painful memories to associate with it. Yet here in one Christmas, all of that pain, all of that hurt was seemingly erased in 24 hours. She not only had her chosen family, she was starting her own actual family as well. She touched her stomach subconsciously as Booth made a comment about his gift from Parker. Looking around, she realized that every aspect of her life was filled with happiness. It was the sort of happiness that she knew would last, even if the moments ended. She was grateful for her life, and the people in it, but Booth was right. It was just the beginning.


	10. Epilogue: The Baby in the Family

A/N: This one is dedicated to Matt Nathanson for single-handedly providing the soundtrack for the writing of this chapter. "Faster" cannot be played enough. Fact. Go download it right now. You can thank me later.

OOOOO

"Hey, guess who's here to meet you." Booth whispered as he picked up the pink bundle of flesh and blankets. "It's the squint squad." He smiled as his daughter let out a small, unimpressed yawn. Yep, totally his daughter, he thought proudly. He turned around to show off his daughter. "Guys, meet Julia Christine Brennan Booth." Cam and Angela both had tear-filled eyes as they walked over to greet the newest member of their family.

"You named her after your mothers?" Cam said, unable to hide the emotion in her normally checked demeanor. Booth nodded and handed her off to Cam so she could hold her.

"I'm already calling her J.C." Booth said. Angela squeezed Hodgins' shoulder just a little more tightly in anticipation of holding the child herself. Jack smiled at his eager wife and shook Booth's hand.

"Congratulations, man. She's beautiful." Booth nodded and watched as Cam finally turned the child over to Angela.

"Hi gorgeous." Angela said as she took her in her arms. "Oh, she looks like Brennan." She said with a happy squeal.

"She looks like a baby." Hodgins said.

"Um, hello. Facial reconstructionist speaking." She said, offended by her husband's statement. "She's going to look just like her mommy. Aren't you? Don't pay any attention to Uncle Jack." Angela cooed, turning her attention back to the baby.

"Speaking of mommy, how is she holding up?" Cam asked Booth.

"She was, unbelievable. I don't know how she did it. She should be waking up any time now." Booth said as he glanced at the clock. It was eight AM and his daughter was already six hours old. "Let me go see if she's up for visitors." He said as he made his way across the hall and into their hospital room. Brennan was awake and he smiled at the sight of her.

"Good morning." He said with a kiss.

"Hi." She said before taking in his tired appearance. "Have you slept yet?" He shook his head.

"I will eventually." He said. "Cam, Hodgins, and Angela are here. Are you up to visitors?" She nodded and sat up. Booth darted back across the hall and took the baby from Hodgins. "She's awake." He said with a smile and nodded across the hall. The team made their way to the room and Booth placed Julia back into her bed in the nursery. He placed a kiss on her tiny hand before whispering "I'll be right back." He made his way back to the room to find Angela sitting on the edge of Brennan's bed. Both of them had started to cry at the mere sight of each other. Cam wrapped her arm around Booth's and rubbed his shoulder blade.

"Any chance of you sleeping?" She asked quietly. Booth shook his head with a smile. "I had to ask. I have been charged with trying to get you to rest."

"Adrenaline." He shrugged. "I'll sleep when I come down." He promised. She smiled.

"You're happy."

"Happier than I have ever been." He said, sure of the fact and if the stupid grin on his face was any indicator, he was telling the truth.

"We're happy for you, big guy."

OOOOO

Parker peered over the edge of the cradle and reached out a finger to touch his new sister.

"She's really small." He said quietly. Booth smiled and nodded.

"You were that small once too." He told him as he pointed to his arm. "Your head fit in my palm and your toes hit my elbow."

"Really?" Parker said, unable to believe that he could have possibly been _that_ tiny. "But that was a long time ago." He said.

"Yeah, but it seems like just yesterday for me." He said as he touched the top of his son's head. "So what do you think?" He asked, wanting to know what his son thought of all of this.

"About what?" He asked.

"About being a big brother. It's a big responsibility." He told him. "You've got someone else to keep an eye on now. You're the one who gets to teach her things and make sure that she's safe."

"I can do that." He said.

"I know you can." Booth said with a smile. "Come here, kid." He said as he pulled his son over to him for a hug. Parker hugged his father reluctantly, unsure of why he was squeezing him so tight.

"Can't breathe." He finally croaked.

"Sorry." He smiled. "I'm just very proud of you. All of this has reminded me how fast time goes by and that when I wake up tomorrow, you're going to be going off to college and getting married. I have to appreciate you while you're still around."

"Dad." Parker rolled his eyes at his father's sentimentality and walked away, exhibiting his first real signs of his impending teenage behavior. Booth watched him go before Brennan replaced him at the door.

"Do you realize our daughter is going to hit the terrible twos when Parker turns thirteen?" He asked his partner. "Our timing is impeccable." Brennan rolled her eyes and smiled.

"We deal with murderers on a daily basis. I think we can handle it." She said as she handed Booth the bottle in her hand so she could pick up the baby.

"But then again, how could anyone so adorable ever be considered terrible?" He smiled as his daughter sucked noisily on her bottle. "You're gorgeous. You look more and more like your mama every day." Booth informed her.

"That may be, but she definitely got your stomach." Brennan observed as the bottle in her hands went dry.

"That's my girl." He smiled proudly.

OOOOO

"Daddy!" Booth bolted out of bed at the cry and headed for the nearest bedroom.

"What's wrong?" The tears began as soon as she set her sight on her father. "Oh, baby." Booth said as he swept her tiny body up into his arms. "Everything's okay. I'm right here. Shh. Don't cry." He rocked her for a few minutes. "Was it a bad dream?" He asked. She nodded and curled up into his neck again. Booth knew the terror of nightmares and so he did what he always did for Brennan, Parker, and himself. He brought her into the kitchen and fixed her a glass of chocolate milk. A few sips and she was still hiccupping, but she was on the mend.

He carried her back to bed and laid down with her. Her petite frame still fit snugly in between his arm and his torso. When she finally closed her eyes, he slipped out from underneath her and sat in the nearest chair, wanting to watch her sleep for a while. He knew there would come a day where he wouldn't be able to solve her problems with a hug and a glass of milk. Until that day, he would be here, in the chair next to her bed.

OOOOO

"Dad!" J.C. cried as she came storming in the house. Brennan looked up at Booth in surprise.

"In the kitchen." He called, wondering what would have his daughter so upset.

"What did you say to Ethan?" She demanded to know, her blue eyes shining with fury just like her mother's did when she was angry.

"What?" Booth asked.

"He won't even hold my hand right now. I pressed him for an answer and he gave me the impression that you two had talked and you said something that had him freaking out." Booth rolled his eyes.

"I didn't say anything he didn't already know." He defended himself.

"Booth!" Brennan said in surprise at her husband. "What did you say?"

"He asked what I did in the army so I told him that I was a highly decorated sniper."

"And…" Brennan said, knowing there was more.

"And that, combined with the fact that you were raised by a team of scientists who could get rid of a body without a single piece of trace evidence left behind, made us a family with some pretty interesting skill sets."

"Daddy!"

"Oh Booth." Brennan shook her head, knowing the exact tone of voice he had used. He had used it on her dates once upon a time as well.

"Jace, I promise, it wasn't meant to scare him off. I just want to make sure that he knows we expect him to treat you with respect. It's a dad thing."

"I've been on the other side of that equation, I know exactly where your good intentions lead." Brennan sighed. "Why don't you invite him over for dinner? Your father will behave himself and show Ethan that he has absolutely nothing to fear."

"Are you kidding? He's not going to come over here now!" J.C stormed up the steps to her room. Brennan waited for the slamming of her bedroom door before turning to her husband.

"Are you happy now?" She asked.

OOOOO

"We're ready for you." The assistant said as he opened the door to the viewing room. Booth and Brennan made their way inside and Booth stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of his daughter's back. The veil, the train, it was all sinking in. His daughter was getting married. She turned around and smiled nervously before taking in his face.

"Dad, don't look at me like that." She said.

"Like what?" He said.

"Like I'm five years old and playing dress-up."

"You will be five forever." He swore. "In here at least." He added as he tapped his temple. He turned to look at his wife, who had fallen eerily silent. The tears in her eyes were an indicator of whatever emotions were rushing through her at the moment. She simply sighed and nodded. J.C nodded back. Booth watched on in awe of their silent communication.

"It's the one." Brennan finally spoke.

"Right?" J.C. said as she looked in the mirror one more time. "Dad, what do you think?"

"I think it's perfect." He said honestly. "You look…unbelievable." He assured her. "Danny is a lucky man." She blushed at the mere mention of her fiancée's name and Booth took a deep breath as he turned to the assistant.

"We'll take it." He said as his daughter smiled brilliantly. Booth pulled out his credit card and handed it to the assistant before they left the room again. As soon as they were alone, Brennan allowed herself the rare opportunity to collapse into Booth's chest and heave a heavy sigh.

"I'm finding that this is harder than it was with Parker." She admitted.

"Because she's the baby." Booth said.

"She's so young." She said again as she glanced back to the closed door.

"She may be 25 but she knows exactly what she wants. She gets that from you." Booth smiled into his wife's hair.

"Right, because I'm the stubborn one." Brennan teased. It hadn't been a surprise to learn that their daughter had inherited both of their stubborn streaks.

"I'm glad we were able to fly out to see the dress in person though." She said.

"California's a nice change from D.C winters." He agreed. "Maybe we should buy a house out here, you know, a place to stay when she starts having grandkids." Brennan groaned at the thought of her baby having babies.

"I like our house just fine." She said.

"It's empty now." Booth pointed out.

"But when the kids come home with their spouses and soon, their children? Then it will be full again and we will have people sleeping on the couch." She added. "Give it a few more years." She said as she patted his arm.

"Almost ready, I promise." J.C said as her brunette head peeked around the corner. "I just have to schedule my final fitting and then we're good to go." She said as she disappeared again. Brennan smiled.

"What?" Booth asked.

"I just see so much of you in her some times." She chuckled. They paid and were back at J.C's house within the hour. When Booth pulled up along the street, he couldn't help but smile as he saw the other car in the driveway. He glanced at Brennan.

"Is that…?" Brennan asked as she heard J.C jump out of the car. Sure enough, Parker was standing on the front step.

"Parks!" J.C. cried as she ran up and threw her arms around her older brother. "What are you doing here?"

"I heard there was a family gathering, so I thought I would crash." He smiled as he hugged his sister.

"Well, there's only one guest room so you've got the couch." She teased as she reached for her keys. Parker took the momentarily break to hug his parents hello.

"This is quite the surprise." Booth said. "Where's the Mrs.?"

"At home." He replied. "I was on business and did some maneuvering with my flights and got a layover in San Francisco. I'm just here for the night."

"Four Booths alone under one roof? When was the last time that happened?" Brennan asked.

"I don't know, but this is the last time that it's going to happen." Parker said as he smiled at his sister. "The next time we see each other, it's going to be three Booths and a Mitchell." He teased.

"Well then, we should celebrate." Booth decided as he rubbed his hands together.

"Ice cream sundaes!" J.C picked the dessert before her brother could respond. Parker closed his open mouth and lowered his finger in defeat. "Haha!" She chuckled victoriously. "You're getting slow in your old age, Parks."

"I let you win." He lied as he ruffled her hair. Booth rolled his eyes at Brennan as she sat down next to him on the couch.

"Some things will never change." He said. "Doesn't matter if they are four or forty."

"Two plus two will always equal four." Brennan replied.

"Life is still good." He finished with a grin.

"Life is very good." She agreed.


End file.
